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IREXE  AND  EKXEST  PACF 


BY  THE  NAME  OF  RICE 

An  Historical  Sketch  of 

DEACON  EDMUND  RICE 

The  Pilgrim  (1594-1663) 

Founder  of  the  English  Family  of  Rice 

in  the  United  States;  and  of  his 

Descendants  to  the  Fourth 

Generation. 

By 

Charles  Elmer  Rice 


Author  of  the  "History  of  the  Hanna  Family,' 

"History  of  the   Hole   Family  in  England 

and   America,"   "The   Wrights   of 

Kelvedon  Hall," 

etc.,  etc. 


Press  of 

The  Williams  Printing  Co. 
Alliance,  Ohio 

1911 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1910,  by  Charles 
Elmer  Rice,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 

Limited  edition,  of  which  this  is  number . 


PREFACE 

"Oh  that  mine  adversary  had  written  a  book"  quoth  the 
afflicted  Job ;  and  let  him  tackle  the  Rice  family  chronology, 
say  I,  and  Nemesis  has  him  by  the  scruff.  There  are  too  many 
Rices  and  few  of  them  are  wildly  enthusiastic  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  their  origin.  When  Mary  A.  Livermore,  that  Queen 
of  the  American  Platform,  was  nearing  her  eightieth  year,  she 
wrote  me  that  'the  question  of  where  she  was  going  to  she 
thought  upon  by  day  and  by  night.'  Now  I  had  early  formed 
the  bad  habit  of  sleeping  at  night,  after  I  had  said  my  "Now  I 
lay  me,"  and  even  by  day  I  seldom  worried  over  the  question 
of  a  tropical  futurity.  That  great  and  good  woman  has  long 
since  departed  and  I  do  not  know  the  result  of  her  nocturnal 
introspection.  If  she  could  read  this  history  of  her  Ancestors 
she  would  learn  whence  she  came,  but  I  hope  she  has  ere  this, 
met  the  good  Deacon,  and  knows  all  about  it  without  having 
incurred  insomnia.  It  must  be  told,  however  that  there  was 
once  a  question  as  to  the  Deacon's  whereabouts  after  "life's 
fitful  fever."  It  was  in  this  wise.  Upon  the  return  of  one  of 
Deacon  Rice's  grandson's  to  the  patrimonial  fields  and  ancestral 
acres  he  viewed  his  grandfather's  grave  and  sadly  remarked  to 
the  old  sexton,  "Well,  John,  the  old  Deacon  has  joined  the 
great  majority."  "Oh,  Sir,"  replied  the  enlightened  sexton, 
"I  wouldn't  just  like  to  say  so  Sir,  the  Deacon  he  was  always 
considered  a  very  fair  sort  of  a  man  Sir."  And  so  he  was,  and 
I  have  endeavored  to  give  his  history  faithfully  and  impartially, 
not  being  deterred  for  a  moment  by  the  apathy  encountered 
when  seeking  information  from  some  of  the  wisest  and  best 
informed  of  the  Deacon's  posterity.  At  first  it  seemed  a  futile 
and  frenetic  search,  likely  to  be  "a  great  cry  for  little  wool," 
as  the  Devil  said  when  he  tried  to  shear  the  pig.  However  it 
soon  transpired  that  these  antipathetic  and  recusant  relatives 
were  only  sporadic  cases  and  kindly  "first  aid  to  the  genealogist" 
was  furnished,  until  we  are  in  possession  of  many  facts  in  regard 
to  the  family  history  that  were  quite  unknown  when  the 
"chronology"  was  written  in  1856. 

3 


2056514 


I  have  only  planned  to  preserve  in  this  little  book  the  main 
facts  regarding  the  Deacon,  his  children  and  grand-children, 
with  their  dates  and  records.  Almost  any  one  of  the  present 
generation  will  be  able  to  connect  by  tracing  backwards,  for 
surely  any  of  us  can  tell  who  were  our  great-grand  parents. 
There  is  an  immense  and  ever  increasing  number  of  german 
Rice  families  in  the  U.  S.,  and  more  are  on  the  way.  I  am 
informed,  in  a  hectic  letter  from  an  aspiring  german  Rice,  that 
there  is  "one  entire  Township  of  Rices,  in  Switzerland."  May 
the  Lord  preserve  them,  in  Switzerland.  Among  the  descendants 
of  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  I  have  found  almost  every  famous 
New  England  name.  The  families  of  many  of  our  Methodist 
and  Episcopal  Bishops,  of  poets,  authors,  statesmen,  clergymen, 
inventors,  financiers,  actors,  musicians  and  politicians  are  de- 
scended from  Deacon  Edmund  or  some  of  his  family. 

Directly  descended  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice,  amongst 
many  others,  are  found  the  well  known  families  of:  Adams, 
Allen,  Abbott,  Alvord,  Arnold,  Alden,  Ainsworth,  Brigham, 
Brewer,  Ball,  Burke,  Brintwell,  Barber,  Bouker,  Barton,  Baker, 
Bannister,  Belcher,  Bigelow,  Bachellor,  Boyd,  Bacon,  Bartlett, 
Bancroft,  Brooks,  Baxter,  Buckminster,  Barnum,  Briggs, 
Bowman,  Barrows,  Bugbee,  Butterfield,  Bascom,  Babcock, 
Bradford,  Bryant,  Bagley,  Baldwin,  Boynton,  Barnard,  Bullard, 
Cutler,  Carpenter,  Coolidge,  Curtis,  Clifford,  Chapin,  Clarke, 
Cotton,  Cook,  Childs,  Coffin,  Cheney,  Chandler,  Crawford, 
Chase,  Gushing,  Cooper,  Crosby,  Dudley,  Dole,  Dwight, 
Dennison,  Dana,  DeGraff,  Dickerson,  Day,  Dodge,  Denio, 
Draper,  Eames,  Eaton,  Erskine,  Emerson,  Edwards,  Endicott, 
Fairbank,  Fletcher,  Fiske,  Fay,  Force,  Froeman,  Foster,  Francis, 
Fuller,  Fales,  Farnsworth,  Farrar,  Field,  Gary,  Goodenow, 
Goddard,  Gates,  Goodale,  Greenwood,  Goldthwaite,  Garfield, 
Gilman,  Gray,  Gerry,  Grosvenor,  Gordan,  Hubbard,  Howard, 
Holbrook,  Haven,  Howe,  Hamilton,  Hoffman,  Hart,  Hale, 
Hoyt,  Huntington,  Holland,  Hosmer,  Hall,  Hodges,  Jackson, 
Jennings,  Johnson,  Kendall,  Knight,  Knapp,  Kellogg,  King, 
Kinsman,  Kemp,  Kingsbury,  Lowell,  Leland,  Lamb,  Livermore, 
Looker,  Laurence,  Luther,  Lucas,  Longfellow,  Lee,  LeCaine, 
Lewis,  Morse,  Moore,  Maynard,  Munroe,  Miles,  May, 
Manning,  Manchester,  Mann,  Merrick,  Marsh,  Mead,  Morrill, 
Morton,  McClure,  Mason,  Newton,  Newhall,  Niles,  Oakes, 
Osgood,  Orcutt,  Olmstead,  Parmenter,  Pratt,  Parker,  Paine, 


Peck,  Putnam,  Pierce,  Philipps,  Prentice,  Perry,  'Proctor, 
Prince,  Peabody,  Phelps,  Pulsifer,  Perkins,  Phipps,  Potter, 
Randall,  Raymond,  Reed,  Ranny,  Ross,  Russell,  Stone,  Swift, 
Spofford,  Snow,  Sturtevant,  Sherman,  Symms,  Shaw,  Simpson, 
Sprague,  Spencer,  Stiles,  Stillman,  Toombs,  Taylor,  Trowbridge, 
Train,  Tarbell,  Tillotson,  Trask,  Torrey,  Upham,  Valentine, 
Welles,  Wells,  Ward,  Wheelock,  White,  Wheeler,  Willard, 
Whitney,  Walker,  Wilder,  Warren,  Whipple,  Woolson,  Willis, 
Whitcomb,  Warner,  Wright,  Weed,  Webber,  Williams, 
Wadsworth,  Washburn,  Winchester,  Waite,  Woodward, 
Young. 

All  these  can  be  definitely  traced  and  for  any  one  who  can 
produce  a  grandfather  "By  the  name  of  Rice,"  I  will  gladly 
supply  the  data  that  will  complete  the  ascent  to  the  Deacon, 
if  he  be  of  the  Deacon's  blood. 

CHAS.  ELMER  RICE. 
Alliance,  Ohio. 

Nov.  1910. 


FOREWORD 

This  book  is  being  re-published  by  the  Edmund  Rice 
(1638)  Association,  Inc.  by  permission  of  the  heirs  of 
the  late  Charles  Elmer  Rice.  We  wish  to  extend  to 
them  our  grateful  thanks  for  the  privilege. 

Many  of  our  members  have  expressed  a  desire  to 
own  a  copy  of  this  little  volume  and  we  know  they  will 
find  it  both  informative  and  highly  entertaining. 

Because  of  our  regard  for  historical  accuracy  it  is 
only  fair  to  state  that  since  the  publication  of  this  book 
research  has  brought  to  light  certain  facts  that  render 
inaccurate  some  of  the  statements  made  herein.  There 
is  a  very  grave  doubt  that  our  family  can  claim  rela- 
tionship to  Royalty,  since  painstaking  work  has  never 
uncovered  the  record  of  the  birth  of  Edmund  Rice  nor 
any  facts  that  would  indicate  his  parentage.  There 
are  also  corrections  in  the  list  of  Edmund's  children, 
since  no  records  have  been  found  to  establish  the  births 
to  the  Deacon  of  Edmund,  the  ninth,  and  Ann,  the 
eleventh  as  listed.  It  is  believed  on  good  authority 
today  that  there  never  was  a  child  named  Edmund,  and 
that  the  Ann  who  married  Nathaniel  Gary  belonged 
to  another  family.  These  and  any  other  errata  were 
accepted  as  facts  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Rice's  writing  and 
do  not  materially  detract  from  the  value  of  the  narra- 
tive. 

"By  the  Name  of  Rice"  is  a  charming  story  delight- 
fully written  and  will  bring  pleasure  and  information 
to  many  of  the  descendants  of  Deacon  Edmund  Rice. 


THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE 
RICE  FAMILY 

N  illuminated  pedigree  of  the  family 
of  Rice  in  the  possession  of  Lord 
Dynevor,  drawn  and  attested  in  the 
year  1600  by  Ralph  Brooke,  York 
Herald,  and  continued  by  different 
hands  to  the  present  time,  makes  Sir 
Rhys  Ap-Thomas  Fitz-Urian,  K.  G.,  to  be  eighteenth 
in  paternal  descent  from  Vryan  Reged,  Lord  of  Kid- 
welly,  Carunllon  and  Yskenen,  in  South  Wales  and 
Margaret  La-Faye,  his  wife,  daughter  of  Gorlois  Duke 
of  Cornwall.  Sir  Rhys  Ap-Thomas,  19th.  in  descent 
from  Gorlois,  was  the  founder  of  the  English  house 
of  Rice.  11  Of  this  distinguished  person,  Fuller,  in  his 
"Worthies,"  writes:  Sir  Rhys  Ap-Thomas  of  Elmalin 
in  Carmathanshire,  was  never  more  than  a  knight,  yet 
little  less  than  a  Prince  in  his  native  country. 
1F  To  King  Henry  VII.,  on  his  landing  with  a  small 
force  at  Milford  Haven,  Sir  Rhys  repaired  with  a 
considerable  accession  of  choice  soldiers,  marching 
with  them  to  Bosworth  field,  where  he  right  valiantly 
behaved  himself.  That  thrifty  King,  afterwards  made 
him  a  Knight  of  the  order  and  well  might  he  have 
given  him  a  garter,  by  whose  effectual  help  he  had  re- 
ceived a  crown." 

At  the  Battle   of  Bosworth,   however,  Henry  made 
him  a  Knight  Banneret,  and  in  the  21st.  year  of  that 


King's  reign  he  was  elected  a  Knight  companion  of  the 
most  noble  order  of  the  Garter.  In  the  next  reign  he 
was  Captain  of  the  Light  Horse  at  the  battle  of 
Therouenne,  and  at  the  siege  of  Tourney,  in  1513. 
1f  Sir  Rhys  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Ap-Griffith  and  his 
first  wife,  the  daughter  and  heir  of  Sir  John  Griffith, 
of  Abermarlais.  (The  second  wife,  and  mother  of  the 
brothers  of  Sir  Rhys,  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Philip 
Duke  of  Burgundy.)  1f  Sir  Griffith  Rice,  son  and  heir 
of  Sir  Rhys  Ap-Thomas,  was  made  a  Knight  of  the 
Bath  at  the  marriage  of  Arthur,  Prince  of  Wales,  in 
1501.  To  William  Rice,  of  Bohmer,  in  Buckingham- 
shire, a  grandson  of  Sir  Griffith,  a  coat  of  arms  was 
granted  in  the  2nd.  year  of  Philip  and  Mary,  May 
1555.  This  Wm.  Rice  was  in  the  22nd.  generation 
from  Gorlois,  Duke  of  Cornwall  and  21st.  in  the  male 
line  from  Vryan  Reged,  Lord  of  Kidwelly.  The  9th. 
in  descent  from  Sir  Griffith  Rice  is  the  present  Lord 
Dynevor. 

(Arthur  de  Cardonnel  Rice,  of  Dynevor  Co.,  Car- 
mathan,  M.A.  Oxford,  D.  L.,  born  Jan.  24,  1836, 
succeeded  his  father  the  6th.  Baron,  in  1878.) 
He  is  descended  from  George  Rice  and  Cecil  De  Car- 
donnel, through  George  Talbot  3d.  Baron  Dynevor. 
IT  This  George  Rice,  of  Newton,  M.  P.,  was  the  son  of 
Edward  Rice,  M.  P.  for  Carmathan,  and  the  grandson 
of  Griffith  Rice,  M.  P.,  in  the  last  Parliament  of  King 
William  and  the  first  four  of  Queen  Anne.  The 
Barony  was  not  created  until  Oct.  17,  1780-  (George 
III.)  Thus  the  branch  of  the  Rice  family  bearing  the 
Dynevor  Arms  and  succeeding  to  the  Peerage,  is,  in 
point  of  age,  far  behind  the  younger  branch,  entitled  to 
the  Arms  granted  by  Philip  and  Mary  in  1555,  and  used 
in  Mass,  by  the  descendants  of  Deacon  Edmund  Rice. 

10 


There  is  a  good  and  sufficient  reason  for  this  but  it  is 

too  lengthy  to  explain  fully  in  these  pages.     In  brief, 

the  effete  elder  branch  ran  out  of  male  heirs  in  the  year 

1756  and  it  took  a  patent  from  the  crown  to  keep 

up  the  title,  by  allowing  the  earldom  to  revert 

to  the  heirs,  male,  through  Lady  Cecil 

De  Cardonnel  Rice.  Such  a  crisis  in 

the  Rice  family  will  be  quite 

unthinkable  to  one  who 

reads  further  in  this 

little    book. 


11 


1T  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  was  modestly  descended  from 
Sir  Griffith  Rice,  Knight  of  the  Bath,  (1501)  being 
his  great  great  grandson,  and  was  therefore  24th.  in 
descent  from  the  Duke  of  Cornwall,  and  23d.  in  the 
male  line  from  Vryan  Reged.  The  writer  (and  all 
the  Rice's  of  his  generation  in  the  U.  S.)  is  in  the  9th. 
generation  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  and  thus  the 
pedigree  can  be  certainly  and  accurately  traced  (see 
Burke's  Peerage;  Lodge's  Peerage,  etc.,)  for  33 
generations,  while  there  are  now  some  representatives 
of  two  succeeding  generations.  Antiquity  is  not  my 
private  property,  and  it  has  been  a  long  and  difficult 
chase,  this  search  for  the  origin  of  the  family.  1f  It 
took  much  research  in  the  British  Museum  and  years 
of  study  at  home  and  abroad.  It  is  perhaps  fortunate 
that  I  can  not  hark  back  to  the  time  when  we  would 
find  our  ancestors  barking  a  good-morning  from  a  hole 
in  the  ground  or  grinning  a  cimmian  greeting  from  the 
top  of  a  cocoanut  tree.  Let  us  be  content  with  the 
eleven  hundred  years  covered  by  the  33  generations 
from  the  great  Lord  of  Kidwelly. 
If  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  was  born  in  Buckinghamshire, 
England  in  the  year  1594;  probably  in  the  little  town 
of  Sudbury,  which  is  only  8  miles  north  of  London,  for 
he  gave  the  name  of  Sudbury  to  his  home  town  in 
Massachusetts  in  1638.  When  the  future  Deacon  was 
born  the  wreckage  of  the  Spanish  Armada  still  strewed 
the  shores  of  England  and  Elizabeth  had  yet  a  decade 
to  reign.  Shakespeare  was  30  years  old  and  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  was  yet  in  possession  of  his  head.  Sir  Francis 

12 


Drake  was  alive  and  Peter  Paul  Rubens  was  just  be- 
ginning to  dabble  in  paint.  Francis  Bacon  and  John 
Smith  (later  of  Pocohontas  fame)  were  young  men. 
Oliver  Cromwell;  Wm.  Penn;  John  Bunyan  and  John 
Milton  were  yet  unborn.  He  lived  in  the  time  of 
Rembrandt  and  as  an  ancestor  was  as  great  a  success 
as  was  Jonathan  Edwards,  who  came  an  hundred  years 
later.  There  exists  no  portrait  or  verisimilitude  of  the 
Deacon. 

H  Little  Willie  was  drawing  a  picture.  "Willie",  said  his 
mother,  "What  are  you  doing?"  "Making  a  picture  of  God," 
replied  Willie.  "Tut-tut,"  said  Willie's  mother,  "No  one 
knows  what  God  looks  like."  "Well,  they  will  know  when 
I  get  this  done,"  replied  Willie,  and,  like  Willie,  I  have  some 
confidence  that  when  I  have  written  this  little  sketch  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice,  for  the  delectation  of  his  posterity,  we  will  know 
what  our  great  ancestor  was  like. 

In  1627,  the  Deacon  and  his  wife  Tamazine  were 
living  in  the  village  of  Berkhamstead,  28  miles  north 
of  London,  in  Hertfordshire.  Their  first  three  children 
were  doubtless  born  in  Sudbury,  Bucks.,  and  the  Parish 
Register  at  Berkhamstead  contains  the  record  of  5 
others  who  were  baptized  in  that  Parish.  The  Deacon 
and  his  wife,  with  seven  of  these  children,  (one  had 
died  and  one  was  born  during  the  voyage,)  landed  in 
Massachusetts  in  1638.  They  came  in  the  early  Post- 
Mayflower  period  and  the  Deacon  has  always  been 
known  as  Edmund  Rice  the  Pilgrim. 
Why  did  they  leave  Hertfordshire  and  come  to  New 
England  ?  We  do  not  know.  Most  of  our  information 
is  unauthenticated  conjecture.  Any  one  who  has  an 
expurgated  edition  of  Mrs.  Hemans'  poems  will  find 
that  female  poet  asking  many  questions  in  regard  to 
the  motives  and  designs  of  the  Pilgrims.  "What  sought 
they  thus  afar?  Jewels ?  the  wealth  of  seas ?"  Scarcely. 


Did  they  intend  following  the  black  flag  and  becoming 
corsairs  and  pirates,  emulating  future  Captain  Kidds? 
The  spoils  of  war?"  Did  they  contemplate  despoiling 
the  Aborigines?  If  so  it  worked  the  wrong  way.  The 
Deacon  and  his  family  were  pretty  thoroughly  de- 
spoiled before  they  got  through  with  the  business.  By 
elimination  we  are  almost  forced  to  the  conclusion 
recited  in  the  poem-that  they  "sought  a  faith's  pure 
shrine."  It  is  rather  difficult  for  us  to  get  an  angle  on 
the  Deacon's  intentions. 

There  were  amongst  the  founders  of  New  England, 
many  eminent  ministers  such  as  Hooker,  Cotton  and 
Williams,  Eliot  and  the  Mathers,  and  the  Deacon 
himself  had  several  Bishops  who  followed  in  his  train, 
besides  some  other  queer  old  pieces  of  theological 
confusion.  If  they  came  purely  from  religious  motives 
they  probably  suffered  many  disillusions.  Yet  we  are 
astonished  at  the  way  these  people  clung  to  their  belief 
and  we  do  not  realize  the  pleasure  they  derived  from 
it.  Mortification  has  its  raptures  and  religion  can 
supply  one  with  almost  carnal  sensations,  while  perse- 
cution even  had  its  debaucheries.  The  Aborigines 
with  patient  and  persistent  deviltry  supplied  an  abund- 
ance of  the  last  named  "thrills"  and  our  ancestors, 
with  remarkable  tenuity,  lived  80,  90,  and  100  yrs., 
content  with  these  conditions.  It  was  surely  not  a 
"short  life  and  a  merry  one." 

IF  There  were  other  reasons  however  that  Mrs. 
Hemans  has  overlooked.  During  the  reign  of  Charles 
I  and  the  Cromwellian  period  many  family  antipithies 
developed.  Families  were  divided  and  the  younger 
and  older  branches,  in  families  of  the  nobility,  had  a 
very  beautiful  natural  and  mutual  disdain  for  each 
other. 

14 


Many  of  the  younger  sons,  who  did  not  inherit  titles 
and  estates  hastened  to  put  the  seas  between  themselves 
and  old  England.  It  is  possible,  yea  probable,  that 
some  such  touching  regard  for  the  older  branch  of  his 
father's  family  may  have  actuated  the  future  Deacon 
in  his  hegira  to  the  Colonies.  He  came  before  money 
began  to  talk  or  monkey  dinners  were  given  at  New- 
port. 

Happy  lives  are  said  to  make  dull  biographies  and 
the  Deacon  led  an  uneventful  but  strenuous  and  hard 
working  life.  He  must  have  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  dodging  the  Indians,  but  here  again 
he  was  a  success.  Neither  his  own  nor  any  of  the  dozen 
little  Rice  scalps  ever  adorned  any  tepee  but  his  own. 
Through  the  various  burnings  of  Deerfield  and  other 
towns  the  Deacon's  "noble  impes,"  as  Chaucer  would 
call  them,  were  preserved,  intact.  He  was  the  father 
of  twelve  children;  which  probably  steadied  his  con- 
ception of  sub-lunary  affairs,  and  he  appears  to  have 
been  upon  very  good  terms  with  God,  as  represented 
by  the  church  in  Sudbury.  He  was  an  honest  man  and 
never  got  four  hams  out  of  a  hog.  If  he  could  come 
back  to  us  now  he  wouldn't  know  the  difference  between 
an  incubator  and  an  egg-plant,  but  it  is  highly  probable 
that  he  knew  all  about  several  other  things  of  which  his 
descendants  are  woefully  ignorant.  In  his  day  the  song 
which  intimates  that  every  member  of  the  household, 
with  the  exception  of  the  head  of  the  family,  performed 
manual  labor,  would  have  been  tabu,  on  the  ground  of 
untruthfulness  and  being  a  libel  on  the  Deacon  and  also 

15 


on  his  wife  and  daughter  Ann.  No,  the  Deacon  surely 
worked,  six  days  in  the  week,  at  least,  and  the  inven- 
tory of  his  estate  shows  that  he  acquired  a  very  respect- 
able fortune  for  one  so  circumscribed  and  surrounded. 
If  It  was  not  advantages  but  disadvantages  that  made 
the  Deacon  great.  He  never  used  a  safety  razor  nor 
had  his  appendix  removed.  He  was  educated  by  actu- 
alities and  he  never  got  goose  flesh.  Some  of  his  de- 
scendants have  lived  to  an  age  to  have  regained  such 
infantile  graces  as  a  total  want  of  memory,  understand- 
ing and  interest  in  life,  but  the  Deacon  never  withered 
at  the  top. 

Mrs.  Eddy's  boasted  descent  from  King  David  is  not 
a  thing  to  be  more  proud  of  than  the  fact  that  she  is 
a  granddaughter,  in  the  seventh  generation,  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice. 

The  village  of  Tremont,  now  sometimes  called  Boston, 
in  Massachusetts,  was  but  8  yrs.  old  when  Edmund 
Rice,  Tamazine  and  their  8  children  reached  Plymouth. 
In  1633  the  Rev.  Jno.  Cotton  came  to  Tremont  and 
renamed  the  village  in  honor  of  his  birthplace,  Boston 
in  Lincolnshire,  England. 

In  1633  there  were  only  307  persons  living  in  Boston. 
We  do  not  know  how  many  were  living  there  in  1638 
but  we  do  know  that  the  Deacon  and  his  wife  with 
the  bizarre  name,  added  a  full  half  score  to  the  number 
and  then  and  thereafter  did  their  full  share  towards 
populating  the  Colony  and  the  future  Commonwealth. 
In  1858  a  chronology  was  published  which  listed  1400 
families  and  over  7000  individuals  having  one  common 
Ancestor  in  the  person  of  Deacon  Edmund  Rice.  What 
his  descendants  would  number  at  the  present  date  it 
would  be  difficult  to  estimate. 
The  first  we  hear  of  Edmund  after  his  arrival  in  Mass. 

16 


he  is  living  at  Sudbury,  known  as  "the  plantation  near 
unto  Concord"  and  incorporated  in  1639  by  the  name 
of  Sudbury. 

He  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sudbury  river  in  the 
southerly  part  of  what  is  now  Wayland.  He  was 
Selectman  in  1644  and  for  years  thereafter,  and  was 
made  a  Deacon  in  the  Church  in  1648. 
In  1656  he  was  one  of  thirteen  petitioners  who  be- 
sought the  general  court  for  a  new  plantation. 
This  being  granted,  and  the  plantation  being  recorded 
under  the  name  of  Marlboro,  the  Deacon  and  his 
family  moved  into  that  village  in  the  year  1660.  Here 
he  had  50  acres  of  land  granted  to  him  and  here  he 
lived  and  died. 

His  wife  Tamazine  had  died,  in  Sudbury,  June  13, 
1654;  and  on  March  1,  1655,  he  married  "Mercie," 
widow  of  Thomas  Brigham,  of  Cambridge. 
Mercie  and  her  first  husband  had  come  to  Mass,  in 
1635,  and  she  was  left  a  widow  in  1654. 
The  Deacon  was  intrusted  with  various  important 
duties  by  the  General  Court,  which  he  discharged  with 
a  fidelity  that  occasioned  repeated  calls  for  his  serv- 
ices. The  records  of  Sudbury  and  Marlboro  contain 
ample  evidence  of  his  vigilant  and  fatherly  care  in  pro- 
moting the  welfare  of  those  infant  settlements.  He 
died  at  Marlboro,  May  3,  1663,  and  was  buried  at 
Sudbury. 


17 


CHILDREN  OF  EDMUND  RICE  (1) 


2, 
3, 
4, 
5, 
6, 
7, 
8, 
9, 


1, 
2, 
3, 
4, 

5, 
6, 
7, 


Henry,  born  1617.  m.  Eliza  Moore 

Edward,  "    1619.  m.  Anna 

Thomas,  "    1622  (?).m.  Mary- 


Lydia,  b.  Mch.  1627.  m.  Hugh  Drury  j 
Mathew,  b.  1629.  m.  Martha  Lamson 
Daniel,  bap.  Nov.  1 , 1 632,  d.  Nov.  1 0, 1 632 
Samuel,  b.  1634.  m.  Elizabeth  King 
Joseph,  born  1637.  m.  Mercy  King 


Born  in 
Bucking- 
hamshire 
England. 
1  Born  in  Ber- 
|  khamstead, 
\.  Hertford- 
shire, 
England. 


10,     9,  Edmund,  1638,                                             Born  at  sea. 

11,10,  Benjamin,b.May31,1640,m.MaryBrown    B.  Sudbury 

12,  11,  Ruth,  b.  Sept.  29,  1659.  m.  Samuel  Welles 

13,  12,  Ann,  b.  Nov.  19,  1661,  m.  Nathaniel  Gerry,   Marlboro 


18 


WAY  back,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Rice  family  in  Mass.,  one  Alpheus 
Rice,  petitioned  the  Court  to  change 
his  name  to  that  of  Alpheus  Royce; 
giving  as  a  sufficient  reason  that  he 
"greatly  feared  at  the  present  rate  of 
increase  the  Rice  family  would  entirely  over  run  New 
England  and  all  identities  would  be  lost." 
Moreover  the  name  of  Royce  was  more  elegant  and 
aristocratic. 

This  was  a  bung-starter  and  the  good  Judge  sat  up 
and  began  to  count  noses.  What  did  he  find?  He 
began  at  Deacon  Edmund,  and  his  fingers  were  all 
used  up  and  he  was  well  on  the  second  round  before 
he  had  counted  the  Deacon's  sons  and  daughters.  Then 
he  began  on  the  Deacon's  grandchildren.  The  Deacon's 
English  born  sons  had  started  out  to  break  all  laws  of 
entail  and  primogeniture.  Henry,  confessed  to  ten 
children;  Edward  to  eleven;  Thomas  to  fourteen; 
"Bus,"  "stop  !"  cried  the  Judge,  "The  motion  prevails," 
and  Edw.  Royce  he  was.  It  was  no  good;  nix  kum 
heraus,  he  proceeded  immediately  to  beget  12  little 
Royces. 

This  proved  that  God  meant  him  to  be  a  Rice. 
Verily  "a  live  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion."     But  all 
the  same  some  good  may  have  come  from  this  first 
census.    A  Senate  or  House  Investigating  Committee 
must  have  reported  or  given  their  ideas  on  supply  and 
demand. 
Henry,  Edward  and  Thomas  having  bulled  the  market, 

19 


the  bears  had  it  for  awhile;  Lydia,  the  next  member  of 
the  family,  limited  her  family  to  one  child.  Benjamin 
raised  his  Ebenezer,  his  only  child,  while  Edmund  was 
so  mortally  scared  that  he  never  married  at  all.  Mathew 
came  in  with  a  9  spot,  and  Joseph  and  Samuel  responded 
with  a  royal  flush-having  10  each. 

After  this,  the  perpetuity  of  the  race  and  the  safety  of 
the  Colony  being  assured,  all  competition  ceased. 
The  Indians  had  burned  Deerfield  and  various  other 
out  posts  but  they  could  not  decimate  the  ranks  of  the 
Colonists  so  as  to  make  any  visible  showing.     It  was 
an  unequal  contest  and  they  gave  it  up. 
The  Rices  had  it. 


20 


A  FEW  FACTS  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  FAMILY 
OF  THE  DEACON'S  FIRST-BORN 

No.  II.  Henry  Rice,  the  first  member  of  the  Deacon's 
remarkable  family,  was  born  in  Buckinghamshire, 
England,  in  Jan.  1617 ;  came  with  his  parents  to  Mass. 
in  1638  and  married  Elizabeth  Moore  of  Sudbury. 
Resided  in  Sudbury  and  Framington,  where  he  died 
Feb.  10,  1710-11,  at  the  age  of  93  years.  His  wife 
died  Aug.  3,  1705.  Children: 

13.  1.  Mary,  Sept.  19,  1646,  m.  Thomas  Brigham. 

14.  2.  Elizabeth,  Aug.  4,  1648,  m.  John  Brewer. 

15.  3.  Hannah m.  Eleazer  Ward. 

16.  4.  Jonathan,  July  3,  1654,  m.  Martha  Eames. 

17.  5.  Abigail,  June  17,  1657,  m.  Thomas  Smith. 

18.  6.  David,  Dec.  27,  1659,  m.  Hannah  Walker. 

19.  7.  Tamasin,  Feb.  2,  1661,  m.  Benj.  Parmenter. 

20.  8.  Rachel,  May  10,  1664,  m.  Thos.  Drury. 

21.  9.  Lydia,  June  4,  1668,  m.  Sam.  C.  Wheelock. 

22.  10.  Mercy,  Jan.  1,  1670,  m.  Elnathan  Allen. 

The  will  of  Henry  Rice,  proved  Feb.  29,  1710-11 
makes  his  sons,  Jonathan  and  David  executors  and  the 
inventory  is  527  pounds  11.0.  A  sum  equal  in  this 
day,  to  five  times  that  amount,  which  goes  to  show  that; 
with  a  family  of  77  grand-children  and  88  great  grand- 
children, it  still  paid  to  be  a  Pilgrim  Father. 
The  lines  of  all  these  married  sons  and  daughters  can 
be  accurately  traced  and  certified  to,  but  it  is  beyond 
the  scope  of  this  little  work  to  trace  any  of  the  families 
in  their  intricate  and  remote  ramifications.  Through 

21 


the  one  son  Jonathan  (16.4),  Henry  had  53  great 
grand-children. 

Jonathan  was  the  Ancestor  of  the  Cutlers  ;-Manasseh, 
Ephraim,  Wm.  P.  Cutler,  Julia  and  Sarah.  All  dis- 
tinguished in  various  lines. 

Manasseh  was  the  originator  of  the  Ohio  Company 
and  sent  out  the  first  colony  of  settlers  to  Marietta, 
O.  in  1788.  Ephraim,  his  son,  was  one  of  the  little 
band,  and  was  a  Member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  Ohio,  in  1802.  Ephraim's  children,  Wm. 
P.,  Julia  and  Sarah,  were  eminent  authorities  on  pioneer 
history  and  published  the  "Cutler"  books. 
Through  David  Rice,  (18.6),  Henry  was  the  Ancestor 
of  the  Haven's,  altho  there  were  many  intermarriages 
of  Haven's  and  Rice's.  The  two  Bishops  Haven, 
Gilbert  and  Erastus  O.*  were  descended  directly  from 
Hannah  (Bent)  Belknap,  whose  first  husband  was 
Richard  Rice,  and  whose  mother  was  Hannah  Rice,  the 
grand-daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Moore) 
Rice. 

Gilbert  Haven,  one  of  the  Bishops  of  the  M.  E.  Church 
was  born  in  Maiden,  Mass.,  Sept.  19,  1821.  Chaplain 
'of  the  8th.  Mass.  Regt.  under  the  command  of  Gen'l 
Butler,  Editor  of  Zion's  Herald  1867.  Elected  Bishop 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1872,  author  of  several 
volumes  of  travels  and  sketches.  Bishop  Haven  died 
Jan.  3,  1880. 

Mary  Rice  (13.1)  had  8  children  by  her  husband 
Thomas  Brigham.  This  Thos.  Brigham  was  the  son 

•Erastus  Otis  Haven,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was  born  Nov.  1,  1820.  In 
1863  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  Michigan  University,  Ann 
Arbor,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  until  1869,  when  he  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  111.  In  1872  he  was 
made  Sec.  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  In  1874 
became  Chancellor  of  Syracuse  University.  Elected  a  Bishop  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  1880.  Di<"*  *  -  1881. 

22 


of  Thos.  Brigham  who  "embarked  in  the  'Susan  and 
Ellen'  April  1635,  then  aged  32,"  and  with  his  wife 
Mercie  and  two  children  came  to  Cambridge,  where  he 
died  Dec.  8,  1653. 

His  widow  Mercie  became  the  2d.  wife  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice,  and  the  mother  of  No.  11  and  No.  12 
of  the  Deacon's  children.  Thus  Mary  (Rice)  Brigham's 
children,  were  the  great  grand-children  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice;  but  grand-children  of  his  predecessor — 
Tho.  Brigham — his  wife's  first  husband.  Two  of 
Mary's  children  married  Howes  (then  spelled  How) 
and  one  married  a  Ward. 

These  are  the  first  intermarriages  with  the  Wards  and 
Howes  but  I  could  enumerate  at  least  20  more  in  each 
family.  The  Deacon  became  the  progenitor  of  all  the 
Mass.  Wards  and  Howes,  amongst  whom  should  be 
named  Elias  Howe,  Samuel  Gridley  Howe  and  his 
distinguished  wife,  Julia  Ward  Howe,t  now  in  her  91st. 
year,  Timothy  O.  Howe,  P.  M.  Gen'l  of  the  U.  S., 
John  Q.  A.  Ward,  one  of  our  most  famous  sculptors, 
etc.,  etc. 

Hannah  Rice  (15.3)  married  another  Ward,  Eleazer, 
son  of  Deacon  Wm.  and  Elizabeth  Ward  of  Sudbury 
and  Marlboro.  He  was  slain  by  the  Indians,  on  the 
road  between  Marlboro  and  Sudbury,  in  April  1676, 
aged  27  years.  His  widow  married  Richard  Taylor, 
Oct.  17,  1777.  By  the  first  marriage  there  was  one 
child  and  by  the  second  there  were  four. 
Tamasin  Rice  (19.7)  married  Benj.  Parmenter  and  left 

t  Julia  Ward  Howe,  7th.  in  descent  from  John  Ward,  a  soldier  in 
Cromwell's  army,  is  also  descended  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice 
through  the  Cutler  family.  Her  mother  was  Julia  Rush  Cutler.  Mrs. 
Howe's  sister,  Louisa  Cutler  Ward,  married  Thomas  Crawford,  the 
eminent  Sculptor.  Francis  Marion  Crawford  (1854-1909)  was  their 
son  and  8th.  in  descent  from  John  Ward  and  Deacon  Edmund  Rice. 

23 


a  large  posterity,  of  whom  are  the  Adams  family,  the 
Brewers,  the  Burkes,  and  the  Springs,  along  with  a 
liberal  sprinkling  of  the  Parmenters. 
She  survived  her  husband,  who  died  in  1737.  He  had 
been  impressed  into  the  service  against  the  Indians  in 
1676  and  was  one  of  the  foremost  warriors  in  this 
family. 

Rachel  Rice  (20.8)  married  Thomas  Drury,  who  was 
the  first  Town  Clerk  of  Framingham;  its  first  repre- 
sentative in  the  Gen'l  Court  1701 ;  Captain,  Selectman, 
etc.,  etc.  He  died  in  1723.  Rachel  and  Thomas  Drury 
had  9  children.  Their  3  sons  Caleb,  Micah  and  Uriah, 
married  three  sisters;  Elizabeth,  Abigail  and  Martha 
Fames.  Thomas  married  another  Ward;  Rachel  mar- 
ried a  Fairbanks;  Elizabeth  a  Morse  and  John  a 
Goddard. 

Lydia  Rice  (21.9)  married  Samuel  Wheelock  in  1692. 
She  was  the  mother  of  10  children,  9  of  whom  married 
and  had  large  families.  Her  daughter  Martha  married 
Ephraim  Pratt,  July  9,  1724. 

This  Ephraim  Pratt,  of  Shutesbury  is  the  one  men- 
tioned in  Dwight's  Travels,  Vol.  2,  page  358,  viz; 
Rev.  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight,  Pres.  of  Yale  College — 
who  visited  Mr.  Pratt  on  Nov.  13,  1803,  and  remarks 
of  him  that  "he  was  born  at  East  Sudbury,  Mass.,  in 
1687,  and  in  one  month  from  the  day  of  our  visit  to 
him  will  complete  his  one  hundred  and  sixteenth  year." 
"His  memory  was  still  vigorous,  his  understanding 
sound,  and  his  mind  sprightly  in  its  conceptions." 
"We  were  informed  by  him  and  by  his  host  that  he 
had  mown  grass  for  one  hundred  and  one  years  suc- 
cessively. Four  of  his  sons  are  now  living,  the  eldest 
of  whom  is  90  and  the  youngest  82  years  of  age." 
See  President  Dwight's  Travels. 

24 


Mercv  Rice  (22.10)  married  Elnathan  Allen.  They 
had  Eight  Children,  the  oldest  of  whom,  Obadiah, 
married  Susannah  Pratt,  May  17,  1720  (daughter  of 
John  and  Ruth  Pratt;  brother  of  Ephraim  of  Shutes- 
bury. 

Thankful  Rice  married  a  Whitney  and  Israel  married 
Elizabeth  Wheelock.  After  these  various  "crossings" 
in  the  Rice,  Pratt  and  Wheelock  families  the  patriarchs 
Ephraim  Pratt  of  Shutesbury,  and  Henry  Rice  of 
Framingham,  whose  combined  age  was  209  years,  could 
safely  gather  up  their  loins,  what  was  left  of  them,  and 
depart  in  peace.  The  country  was  saved  again. 
But  it  was  Abigail  Rice  (17.5)  who  was  to  be  her 
father's  proudest  asset.  Abigail  married  a  Smith  to  be 
sure,  but  she  was  the  great  grand-mother  of  Abigail 
Smith  *  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Adams  and  mother 
of  John  Quincy  Adams;  the  only  woman  in  the  history 
of  our  country  who  has  been  both  the  wife  and  mother 
of  a  President  of  the  United  States. 


*  Abigail  (Smith)  Adams,  born  in  Weymouth,  Mass.  23d.  Nov. 
1744,  died  in  Quincy,  Mass.  28th.  Oct.  1818.  Her  father  was  for 
more  than  forty  years  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church  in 
Weymouth.  Abigail  was  among  the  most  remarkable  women  of  the 
American  Revolutionary  period.  Oct.  25,  1764  she  was  married  to 
John  Adams,  who  became  President  of  the  U.  S.,  was  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence. She  was  the  mother  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
Her  Son  John  Quincy  Adams  was  6th.  President  of  the  United  States 
and  6th.  in  descent  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice. 


25 


SOME  ENLIGHTENMENT  AS  TO  THE  POS- 
TERITY OF  THE  DEACON'S  SECOND-BORN 

Edward  Rice  (3.2)  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Agnes  Bent.  All  his  children  were  by  his  2nd. 
wife  Anna.  All  but  the  last  two  children  were  born  at 
Sudbury.  Edw.  and  Anna  removed  to  Marlboro.  He 
was  Deacon  of  the  Church  there  and  died  Aug.  15, 
1712.  He  was  born  in  1619  and  therefore  93  years  old. 
Edward  Rice  owned  the  farm  that  had  belonged  to 
Deacon  Edmund,  the  Pilgrim,  and  deeded  it  and  other 
lands  to  his  son  Edmund,  April  1,  1686. 
Deed  recorded  Aug.  16,  1734.  A  good  deed  long 
delayed.  Children  of  Edward  and  Anna  Rice. 

23.  1.  John,  b.  about  1647,  m.  Tabitha  Stone 

24.  2.  Lydia,  b.  July  30,  1648,  died  same  day 

25.  3.  Lydia,  b.  Dec.  10,  1649. 

26.  4.  Edmund,  Dec.  9.  1653,  m.  Joyce  Russell 

27.  5.  Daniel,  Nov.  8,  1655,  m.  Bethia  Ward 

28.  6.  Caleb,  b.  Feb.  8,  1657,  died  Apr.  27,  1658 

29.  7.  Jacob,  b 1660,  m.  Mary 

30.  8.  Anna,  b.  Nov.  19,  1661,  m.  Thomas  Rice  (35.2) 

31.  9.  Dorcas,  b.  Jan.  29,  1664,  m.  Thos.  Forbush 

32.  10.  Benjamin,  b.  Dec.  22,  1666,  m.  Mary  Graves 

33.  11.  Abigail,  b.  May  9,  1671,  m.  Sam'l  Forbush  brother  of 

Thos.  Forbush 

1F  While  Deacon  Edward  did  not  have  so  large  a  pos- 
terity as  some  others  of  his  father's  family,  he  yet  had 
an  embarrassment  of  riches  in  47  grand-children 
(through  6  children)  and  162  great  grand-children 
(through  but  5). 

26 


The  female  lines  are  not  here  traced  beyond  the  2d. 
generation.  The  little  Caleb  (28.6)  and  the  two  little 
Lydias  (24.2  and  25.3)  early  departed  this  life  and 
fortunately,  for  they  would  have  inevitably  married 
Pinkhams;  and  while  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  could  claim 
for  his  own  many  of  the  best  and  most  famous  New 
Englanders,  there  was  never  a  Lydia  Pinkham  in  the 
family,  for  the  Deacon  was  a  modest  man  and  never 
played  to  the  grand-stand.  The  4th.  child  John  Rice 
(23.1 )  by  his  wife  Tabitha  had  11  children,  8  of  whom 
married  and  left  large  families.  John  resided  at  Sud- 
bury,  on  a  part  of  the  homestead  of  his  grandfather, 
Deacon  Edmund  Rice  and  near  his  brother  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice.  This  second  Deacon  Edmund  married 
Joyce  Russell,  of  Cambridge,  Oct.  12,  1680.  In  1707 
he  represented  Sudbury  in  the  General  Court.  He  died 
Sept.  25,  1719,  in  his  66th.  year.  He  left  5  children. 
Daniel  Rice  (27.5)  married  the  5th.  Ward  and  carried 
it  by  a  large  majority.  They  had  8  children,  naming 
the  first  one,  born  Oct.  29,  1682,  Bethia  and  the  8th. 
one,  born  exactly  20  yrs.  later,  Hopes  till,  (born  Oct. 
27,  1 702 ) .  This  was  characteristic  of  the  family. 
It  is  a  family  tradition  that  one  of  its  members,  when 
questioned  by  a  village  enumerator,  confessed  to  56 
years  and  a  husband,  and  to  the  next  question,  "Have 
you  any  children  ?"  she  cheerfully  responded  "Not  yet !" 
H  Anna  Rice  (30.8)  married  her  cousin,  Thomas  Rice 
and  not  being  superstitious  they  had  13  children  every 
one  of  whom  lived  to  maturity. 

The  9th.  one,  Adonijah  (born  Aug.  11,  1696),  was 
captured  by  the  Indians,  Aug.  8,  1704,  carried  to 
Canada  and  never  returned.  The  set  was  scarcely 
broken  however  for  they  still  had  the  full  dozen,  with 
such  choice  names  as  Ashur,  Jason,  Jedediah,  Perez, 

27 


Vashtai,  Noah,  and  Beriah.  Dorcas  Rice  (31.9)  mar- 
ried Thomas  Forbush  and  left  5  children.  Benjamin 
Rice  (32.10)  married  Mary  Graves  and  had  9  children, 
amongst  whom  we  find  Azariah,  Zerubabel  and 
Damaris. 

It  was  a  rabbit  proposition.     They  were  in  the  3d. 
generation  and  had  run  out  of  names. 
11  In  this  line  of  Edward  Rice,   traced  through  the 
daughters  and  granddaughters,  we  find  many  persons  of 
note  in  New  England  and  elsewhere. 
The   Virginia    and   Ohio    Rices    are   descended    from 
Edmund  (26.4)  son  of  Edward;  and  from  Isaac  (54.8) 
son  of  Mathew. 

The  Willard  family,  of  whom  the  late  Francis  E. 
Willard,  and  Joseph  Willard,  Pres.  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege were  the  most  distinguished  members,  are  in  this 
line  of  descent  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice. 
Harriett  Hosmer,  the  sculptor,  is  descended  from  both 
Edward  and  Mathew  Rice.  She  was  born  in  Mass. 
6th.  Oct.  1830.  She  took  a  course  in  Anatomical  in- 
struction at  St.  Louis  and  alone  traveled  in  the  western 
wilderness  and  visited  the  Dakotah  Indians.  Going  to 
Rome  with  Charlotte  Cushman,  in  1852,  she  entered 
the  studio  of  Gibson,  the  English  Sculptor,  and  before 
many  years  was  acknowledged  the  foremost  woman 
sculptor  of  the  age.  Her  colossal  figure  of  "Zenobia" 
was  completed  in  1859,  followed  by  a  statue  of  Thos. 
H.  Benton,  cast  in  bronze,  now  in  Lafayette  Park,  St. 
Louis. 

Besides  her  skill  in  sculpture,  Harriett  Hosmer  had 
decided  talent  for  designing  and  constructing  machinery, 
and  devising  new  processes,  such  as  converting  the 
ordinary  limestone  of  Italy  into  marble,  and  a  peculiar 
process  of  modelling  in  clay  and  wax.  Miss  Hosmer 

28 


resided  in  Rome  until  a  short  time  before  her  death  and 
died  Feb.  21,  1908,  at  the  age  of  78  years. 
Our  pride  is  flattered  to  its  innermost  fibre  when  we 
learn  that  the  most  succesful  writer  the  world  has  ever 
known,  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy,  founder  of  Christian 
Science,  is  descended  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  in  this 
line  of  Edward  Rice  his  second-born. 
An  effort  has  been  made  by  some  recent  investigator  to 
establish  Mrs.  Eddy's  descent  from  David,  King  of 
Israel.  Of  King  David  as  a  direct  Ancestor  and 
Solomon  his  son  as  a  mere  side  issue,  Mrs.  Eddy  could 
well  be  proud,  or,  if  descended  through  Solomon,  she 
can  at  least  be  sure  that  there  was  adequate  ground 
for  a  large  relationship. 

Deacon  Edmund  Rice,  however,  was  an  eminent  success 
as  an  ancestor  and  not  to  be  despised.  True  he  did  not 
have  as  many  wives  as  did  Solomon.  His  collection 
was  small  but  choice,  and  when  we  come  to  tracing  his 
posterity  we  can  be  perfectly  cock-sure  that  Mrs.  Mary 
Baker  Glover  Eddy  will  come  nearer  to  immortality 
through  her  inheritance  from  the  Deacon,  than  through 
any  application  of  Christian  Science.  By  this  I  mean 
that  she  will  probably  live  an  hundred  years — *  she  is 
now  in  her  90th. ;  and  has  the  magnificent  record  of 
Longevity  of  the  Rice  and  allied  families,  to  stimulate 
her. 

Elbert  Hubbard  saw  Mrs.  Eddy  when  she  was  87  years 
old  and  describes  her  thus.  "She  is  so  great  that  she 
keeps  her  own  counsel,  receives  no  visitors,  makes  no 
calls,  writes  no  letters,  and  never  goes  inside  a  Church 
more  than  once  a  year. 

Her  face  shows  experience  but  not  extreme  age.  Her 
eyes  are  not  dimmed  nor  her  face  wrinkled.  The  day 

*  Mrs.  Eddy  died  Dec.  4th.  1910. 

29 


I  last  saw  her  she  was  dressed  all  in  white  satin ;  her  hat 
was  a  milliner's  dream.  Her  gloves  came  to  the  elbow 
and  were  properly  wrinkled.  Her  step  is  light,  her 
form  erect — a  slender,  handsome,  queenly  woman.  Her 
form  is  the  form  of  Bernhardt." 

What  matters  it  that  no  man  ever  has  been  able  to 
understand  her  book,  "Science  and  Health,"  or  that 
no  man  ever  will  understand  it?     Her  sayings  are  as 
dark  as  those  of  Dickens'  Captain  Bunsby.     "What  I 
says,  I  stands  to."    "Whereby,  why  not  ?"    "If  so,  what 
odds?    Can  any  man  say  otherwise?    No  !  Awast  then." 
No  matter,  she  is  the  first  and  only  woman  who  has 
made  four  millions  of  dollars  after  she  was  80 
years  old.     She  is  the  greatest  general  and 
most  efficient  organizer  the  world  has 
to-day.    Let  her  chase  her  literary 
tail.     She  would  be  an  orna- 
ment in  the  family  of  any 
old  Puritan  Deacon. 


30 


BEING  THE  POSTERITY  OF  THOMAS  RICE 

CALCULATED  AND  TABULATED  BY  MEANS 

OF  GEOMETRICAL  RATIO  AND  THE 

AID  OF  LOGARITHMS 

Thomas  Rice  (4.3)  was  the  third  of  the  Deacon's 
Buckinghamshire  sons,  born  1620-1626,  which  allows 
us  considerable  latitude  in  guessing  at  his  age.  At  any 
rate  he  was  but  a  youth  when  he  came  to  Sudbury,  where 
he  married  Mary  King;  afterwards  they  removed  to 
Marlboro — but  not  until  the  birth  of  6  children  had 
been  recorded  at  Sudbury.  At  Marlboro  the  Parish 
Clerk  got  a  new  book  and  entered  up  8  more. 
If  If  the  reader  does  not  see  what  this  meant  to  Marl- 
boro he  is  utterly  devoid  of  imagination. 
Fourteen  children !  It  was  the  making  of  Marlboro,  as 
we  shall  see  later. 

Two  of  these  children  died  young.  Twelve  married, 
and  Thomas  Rice  became  the  grandfather  of  75;  the 
great-grandfather  of  253  plus,  for  some  lines  have  been 
lost,  thank  God. 


31 


THE  OUTPUT  OF  THOMAS  AND  MARY 
(FIRST  PRIZE.) 

34.  1,  Grace,  died  at  Sudbury,  Jan.  3,  1653-4. 

35.  2,  Thomas,  June  30,  1654,  m.  Mary 

36.  3,  Mary,  Sept.  4,  1656,  m.  Josiah  White. 

37.  4,  Peter,  Oct.  24,  1658,  m.  Rebecca  Howe. 

38.  5,  Nathaniel,  Jan.  3,  1660,  m.  Sarah 

39.  6,  Sarah,  Jan.  15,  1682,  m Adams. 

40.  7,  Ephraim,  Apr.  15,  1665,  m.  Hannah  Livermore. 

41.  8,  Gershom,  May  9,  1667,  m.  Elizabeth  Haynes. 

42.  9,  James,  March  6,  1669,  m.  Sarah  Stone. 

43.  10,  Frances,  Feb.  3,  1670-1,  m.  Benj.  Allen. 

44.  11,  Jonas,  March  6,  1672-3,  m.  Mary  Stone. 

45.  12,  Grace,  Jan.  15,  1675,  m.  Nathaniel  Moore. 

46.  13,  Elisha,  Dec.  12,  1679,  m.  Elizabeth  Wheeler. 

47.  14,  Remnant,  name  not  given,  died  young. 

The  first  child,  Grace,  died  an  infant.  The  second 
child,  Thomas,  married  his  cousin  Anna  Rice  (30.8) 
Nov.  10,  1681.  He  represented  Marlboro  in  the 
General  Court  several  years  and  is  said,  by  the  Boston 
Gazette  of  Dec.  26,  1768,  to  have  died  at  the  age  of 
94  years. 

1F  Thomas  Rice  and  Anna  Rice  were  the  parents  of  13 
children  and  their  son  Charles  was  the  grandfather  of 
Persis  Rice,  (born  Nov.  19,  1737),  who  married 
General  Rufus  Putnam,*  Jan.  10,  1765.  She  was  a 

*  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam  was  born  Apr.  8,  1738,  at  Sutton,  Mass.  He 
entered  the  Army  at  19  years  of  age  and  was  appointed  Military 
Engineer,  by  the  Continental  Congress.  In  Jan.  1783  he  was  com- 
missioned Brigadier  General.  He  was  Superintendent  of  the  Ohio 

32 


sister  of  Enoch  Rice,  who  married  Olive  Bruce  and 
became  the  ancestress  of  the  large  family  of  Rices  now 
colonized  in  and  about  Los  Angeles,  California. 
Peter  Rice  m.  Rebecca  Howe,  who  died  in  1749,  aged 
81,  and  Peter  died  Nov.  28,  1753,  aged  95  plus.  To 
Peter  and  Rebecca  were  born  eleven  children,  called 
euphoniously,  Elisha,  Zipporah,  Zephaniah,  Cyprian, 
Pelatiah,  Elnathan,  Peter,  Abigail,  Deborah,  Rebecca, 
and  Abraham. 

Ephraim  Rice  (40.7)  m.  1st.  Hannah  Livermore,  of 
Watertown;  and  Mary  Noyes  of  Sudbury  37  years 
later.  There  were  eleven  children. 
One  of  these  John,  was  Ancestor  of  Dr.  William  Rice 
of  Springfield,  and  of  his  eminent  sons  Wm.  North  Rice 
and  Charles  Francis  Rice.t 


Company  and  leader  of  the  settlement  at  Marietta,  O.  in  1788.  In 
1789,  Washington  appointed  him  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
N.  W.  Territory.  On  May  5,  1792,  he  was  appointed  Brigadier 
General  in  the  Army  of  the  U.  S.  In  Oct.  1796,  he  was  appointed 
Surveyor  General  of  the  United  States,  which  office  he  held  until 
1803.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  Ohio  in 
1802.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  last  surviving  General 
officer  of  the  Revolutionary  Army,  excepting  Gen'l  Lafayette.  Gen. 
Putnam  was  deeply  interested  in  Sabbath  Schools  and  Missions  and 
he  formed,  in  1812,  the  first  Bible  Society  west  of  the  Alleghenies. 
Gen'l  Putnam  and  Persis  Rice  were  married  Jan.  10,  1765.  They, 
with  a  family  of  eight  children  and  two  grand-children  came  to 
Marietta,  Ohio,  in  1788. 

Gen'l  Putnam  died  in  1824,  in  his  87th.  year;  Persis  Rice  Putnam 
in  1820,  aged  83.  Five  children  survived  them  and  their  descendants 
are  widely  scattered  through  the  west  and  are  amongst  its  leading 
and  influential  citizens.  Gen'l  Putnam  had  the  Rice  family  arms 
painted  above  his  fire-place  in  the  old  mansion  at  Marietta.  A  copy 
of  the  painting  is  given  in  this  little  book.  It  is  pretty  conclusive 
evidence  that  Gen'l  Putnam's  children  were  descendants  of  William 
Rice,  of  Buckinghamshire,  England,  [supposed  to  be  the  Deacon 
Edmund's  grandfather,]  when  he  adopted  and  used  this  Coat  of 
Arms,  granted  to  the  aforesaid  Rice  in  1555,  by  Mary  of  Eng. 

t  Dr.  Wm.  Rice,  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.  Mar.  10,  1821,  was  the 
grandson  of  Nathan  Rice,  and  7th.  in  descent  from  Deacon  Edmund. 
He  was  graduated  from  Wilbraham  in  1840,  and  received  his  M.A. 
from  Wesleyan  University  in  1853.  He  died  Aug.  17,  1897. 

33 


Through  this  line  of  Ephraim  also  came  the  ancestors 
of  Clara  E.  Barton  the  famous  President  of  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  Society.  (See  the  Military  Record  of 
the  Rice  family  for  sketch  of  Miss  Barton.) 
Gershom  Rice,  (41.8)  m.  Elizabeth  Haynes  and  here 
we  find  a  most  remarkable  instance  of  longevity. 
Gershom  himself  died  in  1768  aged  102  years. 
A  few  years  prior  to  this  date  he  gave  out  the  informa- 
tion that  of  his  Parents  14  children,  excepting  2  that 
died  in  infancy,  all  had  lived  to  advanced  ages  and  that 
the  sum  of  the  ages  of  the  12  persons  was  at  that  time 
exactly  one  thousand  yrs.  At  least  two  of  them  were 
still  living  at  the  time  this  remarkable  statement  was 
made. 

Gershom  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  had  but  6  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters.  Each  of  the  three  sons 
had  9  children  but  the  daughters  accomplishments  have 
not  been  recorded. 

One  of  these  27  grandsons  had  a  Deacon's  family  of 
10  children,  eight  of  whom  averaged  81  1-2  yrs.  each 

Dr.  Rice  was  a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference  for  16 
years,  when,  his  health  failing,  he  became  City  Librarian  at  Spring- 
field, an  office  which  he  held  until  his  death.  Dr.  Rice  was  15  years 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Wilbraham  Wesleyan  Academy, 
the  oldest  Literary  Institution  in  Methodism  in  the  U.  S. 

He  was  25  years  a  Trustee  of  Wesleyan  University  at  Middletown, 
several  times  a  delegate  to  General  Conference  and  the  author  of 
two  valuable  works;  "Moral  and  Religious  Quotations,"  1860  and 
"The  Pastor's  Manual,"  1863.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Revision  of  the  Methodist  Hymn  Book  in  1876.  Dr.  Rice  was  a 
great  Librarian.  He  raised  the  no.  of  volumes  in  the  Springfield 
Library  from  6800  to  100,000  and  raised  $357,423  for  buildings  and 
library  purposes.  The  "Wm.  Rice  Building,"  in  Springfield,  cost 
$100,000.  Dr.  Rice  married,  in  1843,  Caroline  Laura  North,  of 
Lowell.  They  had  four  children ;  of  whom  Wm.  North  Rice,  is  a 
Prof,  and  has  been  acting  President  of  Wesleyan  University. 

Dr.  Charles  Francis  Rice  is  an  eminent  member  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Conference  and  Caroline  Laura  is  wife  of  Prof.  Morris  B. 
Crawford  of  Wesleyan  University.  A  grandson,  Edward  L.  Rice,  is 
Prof,  of  Biology  in  Allegheny  College. 

34 


in  point  of  age ;  with  two  living  to  bring  up  the  average. 
The  longevity  of  this  branch  of  the  family  has  pre- 
vailed in  a  remarkable  degree  in  the  6th.  and  7th. 
generations. 

James  Rice  (42.9)  m.  Sarah  Stone  and  died  in  Worces- 
ter 1730.  They  were  the  parents  of  10  children  9  of 
whom  married  and  had  large  families. 
Frances  Rice  (43.10)  was  born  Feb.  3,  1670,  and  as 
she  was  the  10th.  child,  Thomas,  her  father,  was  due, 
about  this  time  to  become  a  Deacon. 
For  doing  her  parent  this  great  honor  Frances  had 
length  of  days  added  unto  her,  and  died  at  96  yrs.  of 
age,  if  the  Boston  Gazette  could  be  relied  upon  to  tell 
the  truth.  Frances  married  Benjamin  Allen  of  Weston 
and  they  had  six  children. 

Jonas  Rice  (44.1 1 )  married  Mary  Stone  of  Sudbury,  a 
sister  of  the  wife  of  his  brother  James. 
Judge  Jonas  Rice  commenced  the  permanent  settlement 
of  Worcester  and  is  known  as  the  "First  Settler"  or 
"Father  of  Worcester." 

When  past  80  yrs.  of  age  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  County 
of  Worcester,  in  which  office  he  died. 
This  election  was  an  unquestionable  evidence  that  he 
had  retained  his  mental  and  bodily  faculties  to  a  re- 
markable degree,  exceeding  then  as  he  did  by  ten  years 
the  age  at  which  many  Judges  are  required  by  law  to 
retire  from  the  bench. 
Judge  Rice  left  5  children  *  and  his  son  Adonijah  was 


*  Silence  Rice's  grand-daughter,  Margaret  Bigelow,  married,  [Sept. 
10,  1765],  Nathan  Longfellow  [born  Dec.  30,  1743.]  Nathan  was 
the  son  of  Jonathan  Longfellow  of  Machias,  Maine,  and  brother  of 
Stephen  Longfellow. 

Nathan  and  Stephen  were  in  the  4th.  generation  from  Wm. 
Longfellow,  who  came  fror  Yorkshire  and  settled  in  Newbury  in 

35 


the  first  white  child  born  in  Worcester,  Mass.  (Nov.  7, 

1714).    Adonijah  was  in  several  campaigns  against  the 

French  and  Indians.     (See  Military  Record  of  Rice's.) 

Grace  Rice   (45.12)   m.  Nathaniel  Moore,  Feb.   10, 

1701-2.    He  was  the  "third  settler"  and  Deacon  of  the 

Church  in  Worcester  from  its  foundation. 

We  have  no  record  of  the  family,  but  can  safely  assert 

that  there  were  at  least  ten  children. 

No  Deacon's  admitted  without  that  number.    One  son, 

Nathaniel,  born  1715,  resided  at  Worcester  where  he 

died  July  19,  1811,  aged  96;  and  his  wife,  Mehitable, 

died  Apr.  25,  1809,  aged  89. 

"He  had  resided  in  Worcester  more  than  95  years,  and 

lived  with  his  wife  69  yrs.  and  was  a  man  of  exemplary 

piety  and  benevolence.     Thus  ended  the  life  of  an 

honest  man." — Massachusetts  Spy. 

We  do  not  know  when  Grace  Rice  Moore  died,  but  the 

Boston  Gazette  says  that  she  was  living,  at  the  age  of 

94,  on  Dec.  19th.  1768.    She  is  probably  dead  now. 

Elisha  Rice  (46.13)  the  unlucky  13th.  child  of  Thomas 

and  Mary  Rice,  was  a  proprietor  of  Worcester  and 

living  there  in  1719,  where  he  had  30  acres  of  land 

granted  to  him  in  1718. 

He  died  at  82,  leaving  only  seven  children,  but  here 

we  strike  a  rich  vein. 

There  were  two  Elishas,  one  Elijah,  Julia,  Eliakim, 

Silas,  and  Zebulon.    Elijah  Rice,  about  1748,  married 

Hulda  Keys,  and  died  at  Holden,  Mass.,  in  March, 

1818,  in  his  97th.  year.    His  daughter  Zeriah  married 

1675.  Stephen  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1798,  was  delegate  to  the 
Hartford  Convention  1814  and  Member  of  Congress  1823-1825.  He 
compiled  16  vols.  of  Massachusetts,  and  12  vols.  of  Maine  Reports,  and 
was  the  father  of  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Margaret  Bigelow  was  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  one  of 
whom,  Betsey,  born  Oct.  17,  1788,  was  the  mother  of  the  late  Roswell 
D.  Hitchcock,  President  of  Union  Seminary,  N.  Y. 

36 


Thadeus  Colburn,  and  moved  to  Vermont.  Now 
Zeriah  Rice  Colburn  had  a  son  whom  she  named  in  a 
curious  manner.  She  called  him  Abiah,  beginning  with 
her  A-b-abs  and  adding  the  last  syllable  of  her  own 
name. 

Abiah  Colburn,  when  he  had  a  son,  began  at  the  other 
end  of  the  Alphabet,  added  the  last  syllable  of  his  own 
name  and  called  him  Zeriah  or  Zerah.  This  Zerah 
Colburn  was  one  of  the  greatest  natural  mathematicians 
the  world  has  ever  produced  and  a  brief  sketch  should 
here  be  given,  that  we  may  keep  his  memory  green. 
11"  Zerah  Colburn  was  born  in  Cabot,  Vermont,  Sept.  1, 
1 804  and  died  Mar.  2,  1 840.  When  only  six  years  old 
he  began  to  manifest  extraordinary  powers  of  compu- 
tation. He  mentally  solved  problems  involving  the  use 
of  numbers  containing  four  and  five  places  of  figures 
with  greater  ease  and  rapidity  than  that  to  which  ex- 
perienced mathematicians  could  attain. 
The  Question  "How  many  days  and  hours  in  1811 
years?"  was  answered  correctly  in  20  seconds.  When 
he  was  nine  years  old  he  was  able  to  solve  Questions 
like  the  following :  "What  is  999,9992  x  492  x  25  ?"  The 
result  occupied  17  places  of  figures.  He  immediately 
gave  the  factors  of  294,  967,  297,  which  French  mathe- 
maticians had  supposed  to  be  a  prime  number.  His 
performances  show  that  his  mental  processes  were  in- 
conceivablv  rapid  and  his  memory  very  powerful. 
After  exhibiting  his  son  in  the  middle  and  southern 
states,  Abiah  Colburn  took  him  to  England,  Scotland, 
and  Ireland  and  finally  placed  him  in  the  Lycee  Na- 
poleon in  Paris  where  he  remained  18  months.  He 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  Earl  of  Bristol,  who 
placed  him  in  Westminster  school  for  three  years. 
After  his  father's  death,  in  1824,  young  Colburn  re- 

37 


turned  to  the  U.  S.,  entered  the  University  of  Vermont 
and  taught  French  for  a  living. 

He  eventually  became  a  Methodist  preacher  and  in 
1835  a  professor  of  languages  in  Norwich  University, 
Vermont.  In  1833  he  published  a  book  of  memoirs. 
At  one  time,  while  in  England,  Zeriah  studied  for  the 
stage.  He  soon  abandoned  this  idea  and  engaged  for 
a  time  in  performing  Astronomical  calculations  for  Dr. 
Thomas  Young,  the  Sec'y.  of  the  Board  of  Longitude. 
In  London,  where  he  was  exhibited  for  two  years,  his 
performances  were  almost  incredibly  difficult.  Princes, 
nobles,  philosophers,  teachers  and  the  public  were 
equally  astounded.  He  gave,  in  less  than  half  a  minute, 
the  no.  of  seconds  that  had  elapsed  since  the  Christian 
era.  He  extracted  the  square  root  of  numbers  con- 
sisting of  six  figures  and  the  cube  root  of  numbers  con- 
sisting of  nine  figures  in  less  time  than  the  result  could 
be  put  down  on  paper.  He  was  asked  one  day  the  factors 
of  171,395.  There  are  seven  pairs  of  factors  by  which 
that  number  can  be  produced,  and  only  seven;  the  boy 
named  them  all  as  rapidly  as  they  could  be  put  down. 
He  was  required  to  name  the  factors  of  36,083.  "There 
are  none,"  was  his  instantaneous  reply;  and  he  was 
right. 

Again  the  number  4,294,967,297  was  proposed  to  him 
to  find  the  factors.  Now  certain  French  mathematicians 
had  asserted  that  this  was  a  prime  no. ;  but  the  German 
Euler,  had  discovered  that  its  factors  are  641  and 
6,700,417.  This  wonderful  boy,  then  aged  8  years,  by 
the  mere  operation  of  his  mind,  named  the  factors  in 
about  twenty  seconds.  He  could  raise  numbers  consist- 
ing of  one  figure  to  the  sixteenth  power  in  less  than  a 
minute. 

He  was  totally  unable  to  explain  the  processes  by  which 
he  effected  his  calculations. 
38 


"God  put  it  into  my  head,"  he  said  one  day  to,  an  in- 
quisitive lady,  "but  I  can  not  put  it  into  yours."  Zerah, 
like  other  members  of  his  father's  family,  had  one  more 
finger  and  one  more  toe  than  the  regular  number. 
Perhaps  this  aided  him  in  his  miraculous  calculations. 
We  do  not  know. 

It  is  a  matter  so  subtle  that  it  has  never  been  explained. 
His  relative  and  kinswoman,  Mary  Baker  G.  Eddy 
was  also  born  in  Vermont.  Does  any  one  know  how 
many  toes  she  had? 

And  now  we  come  to  Zebulon  Rice,  youngest  son  of 
Elisha,  and  on  whom  a  double  portion  of  Elisha's 
mantle  fell.  Zeb.  was  in  a  class  all  by  himself,  a  class 
called  "Sweepstakes."  He  lived  in  Sudbury,  Lancaster, 
Boyleston  and  Ashburnham. 

His  widow,  Susanna,  died  in  Ashburnham,  Dec.  17, 
1823,  aged  92  yrs.  and  on  her  tombstone  might  have 
been  engraved,  to  parody  an  old  English  Epitaph, 

Some  has  no  children  and  some  has  'steen, 

Here  lies  the  mother  of  seventeen. 
Susanna  was  a  valuable  adjunct  and  with  remarkable 
regularity  added  the  little  Rice's  to  the  flock. 
Beginning  in  1750,  with  little  Josiah,  very  few  bad 
seasons  or  total  failures  are  found  in  the  Rice  crop. 
The  years  1762 — '63,  '64,  '65,  and  '66,  were  eminently 
successful;  '67  appears  to  have  been  a  bad  year;  but 
again  in  '68,  (the  Constitution  having  been  changed) 
'70,  '72 — '74  and  until  1776  the  family  increased  with 
frightful  regularity.  On  June  5,  1776,  just  one  month 
before  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed, 
Susanna  added  no.  17,  and,  anticipating  that  document, 
she  declared  'That  in  the  course  of  human  events  it 
became  necessary  for  her  to  be  "free  and  independent' 
and  retired  to  private  life. 

39 


She   lived   48   years    after   her  Declaration    of 
Independence,   surrounded  by   an   army  of 
children,  grand-children  and  great  grand- 
children. It  is  a  curious  list  of  names, 
these  seventeen,  beginning  with 
Josiah  and  ending  with  the  pet 
name  of  Dolly.  Dolly  was 
very  distantly  related  to 
Josiah,  he  being  the 
1st.  of  his  mother's 
children  and  she 
the      seven- 
t  e  e  n  t  h. 


40 


ON  THE  FAMILY  OF  SAMUEL,  THE 
DEACON'S  SIXTH  SON 

Oh,  Look  Who's  Here! 

Samuel  Rice,   (8.7)  was  the  Deacon's  Sixth  son  and 
7th.  child.     He  was  baptized  at  Berkhamstead,  Eng- 
land, Nov.  12,  1634  (Parish  Register). 
His  immediate  predecessor,  little  Daniel,  was  baptized 
Nov.  1st.  1632,  and  buried  Nov.  10,  1632. 
Daniel  was  a  nine  days  wonder  and  was  promptly  re- 
placed  a   little    less   than   eighteen   months   later  by 
Samuel,  who,  to  make  reparation  for  his  little  brother's 
delinquincies,  married  three  several  times. 
His  second  wife  was  Mary  Brown,  his  third  was  Sarah 
White,  but  ere  he  ran  farther  in  the  chromatic  scale  he 
was  rudely  cut  off  by  death  at  the  early  age  of  51  and 
thus  effectually  handicapped  in  his  laudable  efforts  to 
run  the  connubial  spectrum. 

His  first  wife  was  buried  Oct.  30,  1667.  His  second 
died  at  Concord  June  18,  1675.  They  had  probably 
retired  to  Concord  as  a  place  of  safety  or  a  refuge  from 
the  Indians. 

His  third  wife  survived  him  and  doubtless  married 
again.  Her  first  husband  was  James  Hosmer,  Jr.  who 
was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  the  "Sudbury  fight"  in  the 
Spring  of  1676. 


41 


CHILDREN  OF  SAMUEL  RICE  AND  HIS 
THREE  WIVES 

56.  1,  Elizabeth,  Oct.  26,  1656,  m.  Peter  Haynes. 

57.  2,  Hannah, ,  1658,  m.  Jonathan  Hubbard. 

58.  3,  Joshua,  Apr.  19,  1661,  m.  Mary 

59.  4,  Edmund, ,  1663,  m.  Ruth  Parker. 

60.  5,  Esther,  Sept.  18,  1665,  m Hubbard. 

61.  6,  Samuel,  Oct.  14,  1667,  m.  Abigail  Clapp. 

62.  7,  Mary,  Aug.  6,  1669. 

63.  8,  Edward,  June  20,  1672,  m.  Lydia  Fairbank. 

64.  9,  Abigail,  March  10,  1673-4,  m.  Palmer  Goulding. 

65.  10,  Joseph,  May  16,  1678,  m.  Mary  Townsend. 

The  oldest  child,  Elizabeth,  (56.1)  left  four  children 
the  youngest  of  whom,  Mary,  married  Hezekiah  Rice, 
and  thus  turned  all  the  grand-children  back  into  the 
Rice  family  again.  She  left  6  children  but  we  have  no 
knowledge  of  any  children  by  the  first  three  of  Eliza- 
beth and  Peter. 

The  second  daughter,  Hannah,  (57.2)  married  Jon- 
athan Hubbard  of  Concord,  March  15,  1681,  where 
he  died  July  17,  1728  aged  70.  She  died,  at  Concord, 
April  9,  1747,  in  her  90th.  year,  leaving  eleven  children 
and  the  dog,  if  perchance,  the  hungry  canine  had  sur- 
vived his  keen  disappointment. 

Considering    the    fact    that    this    venerable    Mother 
Hubbard  had  been  a  widow  for  almost  20  years  and 
had  a  round  dozen  of  mouths  to  fill,  it  is  not  at  all  im- 
probable nor  a  matter  of  surprise,  that, 
"When  she  got  there, 
The  Cupboard  was  bare." 

42 


We  are  not  surprised,  but  gratified  to  know  that  being 
a  Rice,  she  "got  there"  and  it  is  all  we  could  expect  of 
her.  We  have  very  little  further  knowledge  of  the 
good  woman.  She  left  a  large  posterity,  and  was  an 
Ancestress  of  Gov.  John  Davis  and  other  eminent 
Davises  (not  including  Jeff). 

All  that  we  have  to  regret  in  the  history  of  this  vener- 
able relative  is  the  fact  that  she  became  some  what 
careless  in  dress,  as  she  grew  older;  a  matter  which 
attracted  considerable  publicity  and  will  doubtless  per- 
petuate her  name  and  gown. 

The  third  child,  Joshua  (58.3)  resided  at  Marlboro 
and  died  June  23,  1734.  He  was  a  proprietor  of 
Worcester  and  had  30  acres  of  land  granted  to  him 
there  in  1718.  He  returned  to  Marlboro  before  1730 
and  his  widow,  Mary  Rice,  died  there  Dec.  1766,  aged 
95  yrs. 

They  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  son  be- 
came a  Deacon  (Oct.  14,  1742)  and  had  the  regulation 
number  of  children. 

Edmund  Rice  (59.4)  the  4th.  child,  married  Ruth 
Parker,  of  Roxbury,  Nov.  15,  1692  and  became,  in  an 
accidental  and  curious  way,  the  ancestor  of  a  famous 
Indian  Chief,  in  manner  and  form  as  follows.  Edmund 
and  Ruth  were  the  parents  of  12  children,  (only  2  or 
three  of  whom  married  Rices),  of  whom  were  Silas, 
Timothy,  and  Nahor.  Now  Thomas  Rice  (35.2)  and 
Edmund  Rice  (59.4)  were  cousins,  and  resided  in 
Westboro. 

On  the  8th.  of  Aug.  1704,  while  the  people  in  the  fields 
were  spreading  flax  a  short  distance  from  the  house  of 
Thomas  Rice,  a  band  of  Indians  rushed  out  of  the 
woods,  where  they  had  concealed  themselves,  and  killed 
little  Nahor  aged  5,  (probably  on  account  of  his  name) . 
knocking  him  in  the  head. 

43 


At  the  same  time  they  seized  Silas  and  Timothy,  aged 
9  and  7  respectively,  sons  of  Edmund  Rice,  and  2 
others,  Ashur  and  Adonijah,  aged  10  and  8,  sons  of 
Thomas  Rice,  and  carried  the  four  little  boys  off  to 
Canada. 

Silas  and  Timothy  were  adopted  by  the  Indians  and 
had  Indian  wives,  and  children  by  them. 
To  Silas  Rice  the  Indians  gave  the  name  Tookanovuras. 
Timothy  was  named  Oughtsorangoughton  and  became 
the  third  of  six  chiefs  of  the  Cognawaga  tribe. 
In  that  capacity  he  addressed  a  speech  to  Col.  Bur- 
goyne,  employed  in  an  expedition  against  Canada,  in 
the  French,  War  of  1755.  (Afterwards  Gen'l.  Bur- 
goyne,  who  surrendered  himself  and  his  army  to  Gen'l. 
Gates,  at  Saratoga,  in  the  Revolutionary  War.) 
Timothy  Oughtsorangoughton  Rice  visited  Westboro, 
in  Sept.  1740,  with  an  interpreter, — he  having  lost  his 
mother  tongue, — and  viewed  the  place  where  he  had 
been  captured;  of  which  he  had  a  perfectly  clear  re- 
membrance, together  with  all  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  was  taken.  He  also  knew  and  well  remem- 
bered several  persons  then  living  in  Westboro. 
He  was  urged  to  remain  amongst  his  people  in  Sud- 
bury,  Marlboro  and  Westboro,  but  nothing  said  or 
done  could  induce  him  to  remain.  He  was  filled  with 
contumacy  and  contravention;  he  did  not  want  to  stay 
and  he  said  so.  So  he  returned  to  Canada,  to  his  copper- 
colored  wife  and  his  copper-stock.  Both  Silas  and 
Timothy  were  living  in  the  Summer  of  1790.  Silas  was 
then  95  and  Timothy  93  years  old. 
That  these  two  aged  chiefs  of  the  Conawaga  tribe  had 
many  children  we  are  certain.  The  only  certified  record 
of  any  of  them  is  the  following: — 
"Eunice  Williams,  born  Sept.  16,  1696,  was  captured 

44 


at  Deerfield  and  taken  to  Canada  in  1704.  She  died  in 
1786  aged  90.  She  married  John  De  Rogers,  an  Indian 
and  had  three  children." 

1.  John,  who  was  killed  at  Lake  George  in  1758. 

2.  Sarah,  married  in  1758,  an  Englishman  named 
Williams. 

3.  Katherine,  married  Francis  Here  Rice  and  had 
one  son,  Thomas  Rice,  who  married  Marian  De  Rice, 
"a  daughter  of  one  of  the  Captive  Rice's  from  Marl- 
boro, Mass."     Thos.  and  Marian  De  Rice  had  10 
children  some  of  whom  were  living,  in  Canada,  as  re- 
cently as  1831,  and  probably  have  many  Indian  de- 
scendants now  in  that  Country. 

Samuel  Rice,  through  the  line  of  his  son  Joshua,  was 
the  Ancestor  of  many  of  the  descendants  of  the  re- 
maining children  of  Edmund  Rice,  who  did  not  turn 
Indian.  Dinah  married  a  Brigham,  and  left  5  children; 
Huldah  married  Sam'l  Wheelock  and  left  6  children, 
Seth  married  Dorothy  Robinson  of  Marlboro,  begat  7 
children  and  died,  a  Deacon,  in  1796,  aged  91.  His 
widow  Dorothy,  died  June  21,  1801,  aged  93.  Thank- 
ful married  Josiah  Rice,  (a  cousin  again)  and  left  5 
children.  Josiah  died  in  1792,  aged  92. 
Edward  Rice  (63.8)  died  July  20,  1741,  in  his  70th. 
year.  He  left  10  children,  but  for  some  reason  never 
was  made  a  Deacon.  This  should  be  investigated. 
Abigail  Rice  (64.9)  has  been  discovered  to  belong  to 
another  branch  of  the  family.  She  was  daughter  of 
Timothy  Rice,  (whose  father  Richard  Rice,  of  Concord 
and  Cambridge,  died  June  9,  1709,  aged  100  years,) 
and  Abigail  Marrett. 

Abigail  Rice  married  Captain  Palmer  Goulding,  Sen. 
who  had  commanded  a  company  at  the  reduction  of 
Louisburg,  June  17,  1745. 


45 


Abigail  and  the  Captain  had  Palmer,  Ignatius,  Peter 
and  Abel,  and  a  daughter  Martha.  Martha,  true  to 
the  traditions  of  the  family,  married  Wm.  Rice  (son 
of  Luke  Rice  of  Shrewsbury)  and  had  10  children. 
All  the  Morses  are  descended  from  Samuel  Rice  (8.7) 
in  the  same  generation  as  from  Sam'l  Morse,  who  came 
to  Mass,  in  1635  and  died  1654.  In  this  line  are 
Jedediah  Morse,  the  great  geographer  and  Samuel  F. 
B.  Morse,  inventor  of  the  electric  telegraph. 


46 


OSEPH  RICE  (9.8)  was  the  Deacon's 
8th.  child  and  the  last  one  born  in 
Hertfordshire.  He  was  the  "toddler" 
on  the  outward  voyage  and  his  "nose 
was  out  of  joint"  before  the  voyage 
was  done.  He  was  forced,  by  circum- 
stances over  which  he  had  no  control,  to  take  to  spoon 
victuals.  The  voyage  had  been  long  and  not  utterly 
devoid  of  "squalls,"  for  the  Deacon's  wife  with  the 
Arabian  Night's  name  had  added  another  to  the 
passenger  list.  This  was  little  Edmund,  born  at  sea,  in 
1638,  a  man  without  a  country;  born  when  his  mother 
was  away  from  home,  and  named,  in  honor  of  the 
Deacon,  Edmund. 

The  usurping  Edmund  died.  No  one  knows  when.  No 
record  of  his  ever  having  married,  or  of  his  residence, 
or  death,  or  settlement  of  any  estate  ever  belonging  to 
him  has  been  discovered. 

Joseph  lived.  He  lived  and  had  4  wives;  not  simul- 
taneously nor  contemporaneously,  but  quite  continu- 
ously. 

Joseph  Rice  was  baptized  at  Berkhamstead,  Hertford- 
shire, England,  March  13,  1637.  Coming  at  a  tender 
age  to  Mass.  Colony  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  be- 
come a  Pilgrim  Father.  Like  a  good  Democrat  he 
married  early  and  often.  In  rapid  succession  we  find 
his  wives  to  have  been,  1st.  Mercy;  2nd.  Martha;  3d. 
Mary;  4-th.^Sarah.  Beyond  this  and  the  fact  that  the 
names  of  his  ten  children  are  recorded  at  Sudbury  we 
have  no  further  knowledge  of  his  marital  exploits. 

47 


The  date  of  his  death  we  do  not  know.  He  was  living 
as  late  as  Feb.  10,  1684,  and  that  is  the  last  we  know 
of  him.  He  was  but  47  years  old  at  that  date,  so  that, 
with  the  remarkable  longevity  of  the  Rice  family  star- 
ing him  in  the  face,  we  are  left  with  a  large  field  for 
conjecture  as  to  what  matrimonial  pyrotechnics  he  may 
have  performed  in  his  declining  years,  if  he  had  any. 
We  are  only  certain  that  he  was  married  four  times  and 
with  this  paucity  of  bliss  we  are  satisfied  that  he  was 
fully  prepared  to  die  and  that  he  entered  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom  calmly  and  unregretfully. 


B 

S       H       H 


48 


CHILDREN  OF  JOSEPH  AND  MERCY  RICE, 

ET  AL 

66.  1,  Rebecca,  April  6,  1660,  at  Sudbury. 

67.  2,  Martha,  Jan.  14,  1662,  m.  Jonathan  Coolidge. 

68.  3,  Josiah,  May  3,  1663. 

69.  4,  Caleb,  May  19,  1666,  m.  Mary  Ward. 

70.  5,  Joseph,  June  5,  1671,  m.  Mercy  Kerley. 

71.  6,  Eleazar,  Oct.  26,  1672,  d.  young. 

72.  7,  Mary,  Aug.  6,  1674,  m.  David  Stone. 

73.  8,  Jonathan,  Mar.  26,  1679,  m.  Anna  Derby. 

74.  9,  Sarah,  Feb.  14,  1680-1,  d.  June,  1681. 

75.  10,  Phineas,  Aug.  24,  1682,  m.  Elizabeth  Willard. 

Of  Rebecca  we  know  nothing  more.  Martha  Coolidge 
resided  at  Watertown  and  had  6  children.  Her  hus- 
band died  at  Watertown  in  1724,  aged  77,  (son  of 
John  Coolidge  of  Watertown  1639.  A  Representative 
in  1658  and  died  1690.) 

Caleb  Rice,  the  4th.  child,  married  a  Ward.  (It  was 
becoming  a  habit).  Was  a  Deacon  in  the  Church  at 
Marlboro  from  1718  till  his  death  Jan.  5,  1738-9. 
(His  gravestone  says  he  was  77  years,  7  mos.  and  7 
days  old).  As  all  good  Deacons  should  he  had  10 
children ;  4  sons  and  6  daughters.  Caleb,  his  4th.  son 
was  graduated  from  Harvard  University  1730,  and 
became  first  minister  of  the  Gospel  at  Sturbridge,  Sept. 
29,  1736.  Died  there  in  1759. 

Caleb's  son  Nathan,  born  Aug.  2,  1754,  was  graduated 
from  Harvard  University  in  1773.  He  was  an  officer 
in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution,  and  during  the  quasi 
war  with  France,  1799  and  1800;  was  commissioned 
Lieutenant  Colonel  and  stationed  at  Oxford.  He  re- 

49 


turned  to  Hingham  upon  the  disbanding  of  the  Army 
and  died  there,  April  17,  1834,  aged  80  years. 
His  son  Charles  Rice  born  Nov.  28,  1781,  entered 
Harvard  in  1797,  but  died  Aug.  17,  1799.  Another 
son,  Caleb,  Dec.  5,  1784,  graduated  from  Harvard, 
1803,  and  died  1849. 

A  daughter,  Sophia,  born  Feb.  12,  1797,  married 
Gamaliel  Bradford*  (Harvard  1814)  M.D.  Their 
children  (4)  are  in  the  same  generation  from  Gov. 
Bradford  and  Edmund  Rice. 

By  his  other  9  children  the  Deacon  had  a  large  pos- 
terity.   It  is  not  traced  through  the  daughters.    Mary, 
we  know,  married  David  Stone,  (Dec.  10,  1710,)  and 
resided  at  Watertown,  where  he  "died  Oct.  7,  1750, 
aged  78,  having  lived  56  years  without  sight." 
If  this  was  not  the  origin  of  "stone-blind"  it  is  at  least 
an  early  example  to  the  real  thing. 
Their  daughter  Mercy  Stone,  born  Feb.  2,  1713-14, 
married  Rev.  David  Goddard  born  1706. 
A  graduate  of  Harvard,  1731,  and  minister  at  Leices- 
ter. 

Joseph  Rice  (70.5)  married  Mercy  Kerley  of  Marl- 
boro, Nov.  10,  1708.  His  2nd.  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Robinson.  His  3d.  wife  was  Jane  Corey,  of  Boston. 
He  died  Dec.  3,  1745.  His  widow,  Jane,  died  1762. 
They  had,  amongst  them,  6  children.  At  least  one  of 
whom  married  a  Ward. 

Mary,  the  5th.  child  married  Thaddeus  Bond  and  her 
name  is  perpetuated  to  this  day,  by  many  eminent  per- 
sons of  that  family.  This  is  in  no  wise  meant  to  adver- 
tise Boston  Bond. 


*  Son  of  Capt.  Gamaliel  Bradford,  Lieut,  in  Rev.  and  5th.  in 
descent  from  Gov.  Wm.  Bradford  who  arrived  in  Mayflower  Dec. 
1620.  Gov.  of  Plymouth  Colony  from  1620  to  1657,  with  the  exception 
of  5  yrs. 

50 


Jonathan  Rice  (73.8)  was  Deacon  in  the  church  at 
Sudbury,  and,  being  a  deacon,  had  10  children,  of 
course.  Jonathan  died,  full  of  years  and  honors,  June 
7,  1772,  aged  92  and  his  widow  Anne,  died  Dec.  23, 
1773,  also  aged  92.  They  had  9  daughters  and  one 
son,  William  Rice,  who  married  Mary  Estabrook  and 
had  7  children  and  many,  many  Grand  children. 
The  last  of  Joseph's  children,  Phineas,  (75.10)  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Willard,  Oct.  2,  1707,  resided  in  Sud- 
bury and  was  a  representative  in  the  General  Court. 
He  seems  to  have  been  the  literary  member  of  his 
father's  family  and  is  described  in  the  Boston  news- 
papers, Sept.  5,  1768,  as  being  "a  gentleman  of  an 
enlarged  soul,  bright  parts,  a  penetrating  wit,  tenacious 
memory  and  well  acquainted  with  both  men  and  books. 
Perhaps  his  superior  could  scarce  be  found  in  New 
England."  A  newspaper  of  1910  could  scarcely  do 
better  than  that. 

This  erudite  member  of  the  Deacon's  family  died  aged 
86,  and  left  5  children.  Through  one  of  them  (Joseph) 
he  was  the  ancestor  of  the  late  eminent  financier, 
Spencer  Trask,  who  was  killed  Dec.  31,  1909,  on  the 
N.  Y.  Central  R.  R.  near  N.  Y.  City.t 

t  Spencer  Trask  was  born  in  1844,  Son  of  Alanson  Trask  and 
Sarah  Marquand.  His  Grand-mother  Trask  was  a  daughter  of  Mary 
(Rice)  Goodale.  Spencer  Trask  was  graduated  from  Princeton  and 
engaged  in  the  Banking  business  with  his  Uncle  Henry  G.  Marquand. 
From  its  beginning  he  was  president  of  the  Edison  Light  and  Power 
System.  To  the  general  public  he  was  better  known  as  a  promoter  of 
philanthropic  and  educational  projects  and  as  a  patron  of  Art,  then 
as  a  banker.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  for  15  years  a  trirstee 
of  Teacher's  College;  one  of  the  founders  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Kindergarten  Association ;  a  trustee  of  the  General  Theological 
Seminary;  the  principal  founder  of  the  National  Arts  Society  and 
President  of  the  Reservation  Commission  which  has  sought  to  pre- 
serve the  Springs  at  Saratoga.  Mrs.  Trask  is  a  well  known  writer, 
and  has  recently  written  a  play,  "The  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem," 
which  has  been  produced  by  the  Ben  Greet  Players. 


51 


BEING  A  GENERAL  ROUND-UP  OF  THE 

DEACON'S  OTHER  CHILDREN,  EVEN  UNTO 

AND  INCLUDING  THE  TWELFTH 

Lydia  Rice,  (5.4)  was  the  first  child  born  to  Deacon 

Edmund  and  Tamazin  Rice  after  the  removal  from 

Buckinghamshire  to  Hertfordshire. 

The  Parish  Register  at  Berkhamstead  informs  us  that 

Lydia  was  baptized  Mar.  9,  1627.    She  married  Hugh 

Drury  and  resided  in  Boston. 

Her  husband  was  a  member  of  the  Artillery  Company, 

1659,  and  subsequently  its  Lieutenant. 

Lydia  and  Hugh  Drury  had  but  one  child  John,  born 

at  Sudbury,  May  2,  1646. 

John  married  Mary ,  and  their  one  child, 

Thomas,  the  son  of  the  house  and  the  hope  of  the 
family  made  his  calling  and  election  sure  in  the  Rice 
family  by  marrying,  when  19  years  old,  his  father's 
first  cousin,  Rachel  Rice,  (daughter  of  Henry,  oldest 
son  of  the  Deacon) ,  and  thus  all  of  Lydia's  descendants 
are  doubly  descended  from  the  old  President  of  the 
Company,  Deacon  Edmund. 

Next  after  Lydia  comes  Mathew  Rice,  (6.5)  baptized 
at  Berkhamstead,  England,  Feb.  28,  1629. 
Matthew,  as  it  was  afterwards  spelled,  lived  to  the 
Patriarchal  age  of  89  years  and  some  months,  married 
at  Sudbury,  July  7,  1654,  Martha  Lamson,  and  became 
the  father  of  only  nine  children.     By  a  very  narrow 
margin  he  thus  escaped  being  a  Deacon;  a  man  with 
fewer  than  10  children  apparently  being  utterly  pro- 
scribed. 
52 


CHILDREN  OF  MATTHEW  RICE  AND 
MARTHA  LAMSON 

47.  1,  Sarah,  Sept.  15,  1655,  m.  John  Looker. 

48.  2,  Martha,  Aug.  17,  1657,  m.  John  Bent. 

49.  3,  Deborah,  Feb.  14,  1659-1660,  m.  Thomas  Sawin. 

50.  4,  Ruth,  April  2,  1662,  m.  Joseph  Hastings. 

51.  5,  Elizabeth,  May  20,  1663,  m.  Samuel  Ware. 

52.  6,  Dorothy,  Feb.  14,  1664-5,  m.  Sam'l  Ware. 

53.  7,  Mary,  died  young. 

54.  8,  Isaac,  May  1,  1668,  m.  Sybil  Collins. 

55.  9,  Patience,  March  5,  1671,  m Holbrook. 

In  this  rather  remarkable  family  of  eight  daughters 
and  one  son  the  lines  will  not  be  traced  here. 
Sarah  Rice,  the  eldest  daughter,  married  John  Looker, 
and  had  4  children,  the  3d.  of  whom,  Henry  Rice 
Looker,  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  married,  in 
1716  Mary  Rice,  (daughter  of  Ebenezer,  son  of  Benj. 
1  Oth.  son  of  Deacon  Edmund, )  She  being  his  2d.  cousin. 
They  became  the  Ancestors  of  Gov.  Othniel  Looker, 
5th.  Gov.  of  Ohio. 

Apropos  of  this  marriage  of  cousins,  Coleridge  once 
debated  with  Charles  Lamb,  the  question  of  con- 
sanguinity and  proved,  to  his  own  satisfaction  at  least, 
that  the  marriage  of  cousins  was  eminently  sane, 
proper,  just  and  right,  and  fraught  with  the  best  results 
for  humanity.  Coleridge  certainly  had  ample  backing 
and  justification  for  his  argument  in  the  family  and 
descendants  of  the  Pilgrim  Deacon. 
Matthew's  only  son  Isaac  died  Feb.  4,  1717-18  leaving 
5  children;  all  daughters.  This  mistake  was  later 

53 


rectified  by  the  marriage  of  the  2d.  dau.  Martha,  to 
William  Rice,  and  they  were  the  progenitors  of  the 
Ohio  Rices,  through  the  line  of  Matthew.  In  the  death 
of  Isaac  Rice,  the  male  descendants  of  Matthew,  (6.5) 
in  direct  line,  became  extinct.  His  mother,  Martha 
Rice,  survived  him  and  was  past  90  at  the  date  of  his 
death,  in  1717-18. 

Benjamin  Rice  (11.10)  was  the  10th.  child  of  the 
Deacon  and  the  only  son  born  in  Mass.  He  was  born, 
according  to  Sudbury  records,  May  31,  1640,  and  died 
Dec.  19,  1713,  aged  73. 

Benjamin  married  Mary  Brown,  of  Sudbury,  about 
1662,  and  resided  there.  Benj.  Rice,  on  May  23d. 
1685,  sued  Dr.  William  Avery,  of  Boston,  for  mal- 
practice, verdict  for  defendant. 

An  extract  from  the  records  of  this  suit  relates  that 
"one,  Daniel  Pond,  testified  that  10  years  ago  Benj. 
Rice  came  to  my  house  in  Deadham,  with  his  feet 
frozen,  and  lodged  there.  Dr.  Wm.  Avery's  son  Benj. 
cut  off  one  foot  at  the  lowest  joint  and  staunched  the 
blood  with  a  musquash  skin." 

The  old  Dr.  does  not  appear,  from  Pond's  Extract,  to 
have  been  present  at  the  operation,  and  the  malpractice, 
if  any,  was  not  chargeable  to  him,  but  to  his  presump- 
tious  and  irresponsible  son,  who  adventured  this  feat  of 
surgery  purely  on  his  own  account.  Benj.  Rice  was  the 
first  member  of  the  family  on  record  who  got  cold  feet. 
His  son  Ebenezer  married  Bethia  Williams  in  1698  and 
died  in  Sudbury  June  21,  1724.  Bethia  Rice  died  July 
6,  1721. 

They  left  a  family  of  8  daughters  and  one  son. 
The   oldest   daughter,   Mary  Rice,   mentioned  under 
Matthew  (6.5)  became  a  progenitor  of  Gov.  Looker 

54 


of  Ohio.    Only  2  other  daughters  married  and  we  do 
not  know  that  they  left  any  posterity. 
The  only  son,  Ebenezer  Rice  II,  (born  Nov.  24,  1709) 
married  his  second  cousin,  Anna  Rice,  and  had  7  chil- 
dren.    Three  of  these  never  married;  two  died  in  in- 
fancy, while  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  twins,  born  Feb.  12, 
1745,  married  twins,  Mary  Green  *  and  Sarah  Green.* 
And  thus,  so  far  as  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  is  concerned, 
endeth  the  chapter,   all  his  posterity  having  gone  to 
Greens. 

When  little  Benjamin,  her  10th.  and  last  child  was  in 
his  15th.  year  Tamazin  Rice,  died,  (at  Sudbury,  June 
13,  1654.)  The  record  of  her  death  is  the  only  one 
wherein  her  name  is  found.  She  was  doubtless  a  faith- 
ful, wise  and  prudent  Pilgrim  Mother.  She  had  made 
her  husband  a  Deacon.  The  careful  observer  who  has 
read  thus  far  in  the  Rice  family  history  must  be  aware 
of  an  omission  on  the  part  of  the  Apostle  Paul  when 
he  imparted  to  Timothy  that  "a  Bishop  must  be  the 
husband  of  one  wife."  He  should  have  added  that  a 
Deacon  shall  be  the  father  of  10  children.  This  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  the  rules  of  the  Church  in  Mass. 
Colony. 

And  so  Edmund  Rice  became  a  Deacon,  but  not  until 
after  his  son  Benj.  was  born.  All  honor  to  our  Grand- 
mother Tamazin,  she  of  the  gypsy  name.  The  Deacon's 
sincerest  tribute  to  her  worth  was  in  speedily  replacing 
her. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  began  to  wear  his  Sunday 
hat  on  week  days  and  "sit  up"  to  Dame  Mercie 
Brigham.  He  was  only  60,  a  mere  "broth  of  a  lad" 


*  Verdant  Green,  Hettie  Green  and  Darius  Green,  are  not  of  this 
family. 


55 


for  that  family,  and  in  the  light  of  his  youthful  coun- 
tenance the  widow's  weeds  soon  wilted.  Mercy  and 
the  Deacon  were  married  Mar.  1,  1655,  but  the  wed- 
ding was  strictly  private  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
Deacon  was  not  yet  out  of  mourning  for  his  first  wife. 
The  bride  herself  was  only  getting  into  lavender.  Her 
1st.  husband,  Thomas  Brigham  had  been  dead  but  17 
months.  But  marriage  was  a  good  thing  and  Mercie 
knew  it  and  when  the  Deacon  died  she  married  again 
in  17  months,  and  she  said  "she  didn't  carel" 
To  the  Deacon  and  his  second  wife  were  born  two  more 
children,  both  daughters.  Ruth  (12.11)  was  born 
Sept.  29,  1659,  when  the  Deacon  was  66  yrs.  old.  Ann 
(13.12)  was  born  Nov.  19,  1661,  when  he  was  68. 
Ann  was  the  Deacon's  swan-song.  Ruth  and  Ann  were 
the  penultimate  and  anti-penultimate  Rices  of  their 
generation. 

Beyond  the  fact  that  both  Ruth  and  Ann  were  happily 
married,  (for  we  know  to  whom  and  when  and  where) , 
we  know  nothing  more  of  the  after  life  of  these  two 
sisters. 

Ruth     married    Samuel     Welles     and     removed     to 
Weathersfield,  Conn.,  in  1684.    They  were  the  direct 
ancestors  of  Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  in  President  Lincoln's  Cabinet. 
Ann  married  Nathaniel  Gerry,  of  Roxbury,  Nov.  12, 
1685,  (son  of  Nathaniel  Gerry  and  Ann  Dugglas,  who 
were  married  at  Roxbury,  Oct.  14,  1685.) 
Just  how  many  children  these  younger  sisters  had  we 
do  not  know.    We  only  know  that  none  of  the  Deacon's 
daughters  were  born  in  years  when  the  peach  crop 
failed  and  by  only  7  sons  he  had  65  grandchildren. 
And  so  our  imagination,  like   a   soaring  Hippogriff, 


56 


journey's  straightway  toward  infinite  numbers.  Let 
some  other  chronicler  straighten  out  the  Welles  and 
Gerry  families  and  tell  us,  (for  we  do  not  know  when 
she  died.) 

"How  old  was  Ann?" 


57 


This  Little  Chapter  telling  the  story  of  their  descent 
from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice  is  only  meant  for  the  pos- 
terity of  Wm.  Rice  of  Va.  and  Ohio,  (1780-1827)  for 
unto  us  it  was  given  to  inherit  from  the  Puritan  Deacon, 
through  2  of  his  English  born  Sons  a  double  portion  of 
Rice  characteristics  and  obliquities. 

William  Rice,  born  1697,  was  the  3d.  son  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice,  (born  Dec.  6,  1653)  and  Joyce  Russell; 
Dea.  Edmund  was  the  2d.  son  of  Deacon  Edward  Rice, 
(born  1619)  and  his  wife  Anna;  Edward  was  the  2d. 
son  of  Deacon  Edmund,  the  Pilgrim. 
Martha  Rice,  (born  1693)  was  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
Rice  (born  May  1,  1668)  and  Sybil  Collins;  Isaac  Rice 
was  the  son  of  Matthew  Rice,  1629,  5th.  child  and  4th. 
son  of  Deacon  Edmund  Rice,  the  Pilgrim. 
11  Now  William  Rice  (1697)  and  Martha  Rice  (1693) 
being  great-grand  children  of  Deacon  Edmund  and  full 
second  cousins  on  the  Rice  side,  concluded,  very  sen- 
sibly, that  this  degree  of  consanguinity  was  not  suffi- 
cient, and  accordingly  they  were  married  at  Sudbury, 
Mass.,  Oct.  7,  1719.  William  was  at  this  time  22 
years  old  and  was  the  youngest  member  of  his  father's 
family.  He  had  2  brothers  and  2  sisters.  The  oldest 
sister  Joyce,  married  Samuel  Abbot  and  became  the 
progenitor  of  the  long  line  of  Abbots,  who  have  been 
"Makers  of  History"  in  the  U.  S. 
Martha  (Rice)  Rice  was  born  Oct.  17,  1693,  and  so 
was  26  years  old  plus  10  days,  when  she  was  married. 
She  evened  up  this  discrepancy  by  departing  this  life 

58 


some  years  in  advance  of  her  younger  husband.  We 
do  not  have  the  exact  date  of  her  death,  but  William 
married  on  May  10,  1733,  Hannah  Graves,  and  there 
were  soon  2  more  Rices  added  to  the  family.  These 
were  Beulah  1735  and  Micah  1740. 
Martha,  before  her  departure,  had  added  to  the 
Deacon's  posterity  3  sons,  and  a  daughter  called 
"Sibleth."  The  sons  were,  Isaac  Rice,  born  June  10, 
1720;  William,  July  10,  1722;  and  Elijah,  June  4, 
1728.  Elijah  followed  his  parents  example  and  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Rice,  his  2nd.  cousin,  and  became  the 
father  of  a  large  family  of  double  Rices.  The  father, 
William  Rice,  lived  in  Sudbury,  until  his  death  in  1769, 
aged  72. 

The  second  son,  William,  in  whom  we  are  most  inter- 
ested, born  July  10,  1722,  married  Abigail  Willis,  of 
Sudbury,  Aug.  16,  1753. 

He  was  then  living  at  Natick,  and  was  31  yrs.  of  age. 
They  had  four  children  born  in  Mass.,  viz:  Isaac, 
Sarah ;  Ruth ;  and  Abel.  Abel  was  baptized  at  Natick, 
June  27,  1768.  This  is  the  last  record  we  find  of  the 
family  in  Mass.,  for  William  and  Abigail  left  that 
Commonwealth  about  1769  and  settled  in  Virginia, 
living  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War  in  Fairfax 
County.  Here  Abigail  Rice  died  and  William  married 
again.  We  do  not  know  whom  he  married,  but  it  was 
probably  not  a  Rice  this  time  unless  he  returned  to 
Mass,  to  hunt  one. 

To  this  union  three  sons  were  born;  Samuel,  Richard 
and  William.  The  little  William,  born  1780,  and 
brought  up  at  the  heels  of  the  Revolution,  was  his 
father's  7th.  child,  tho'  not  a  7th.  son.  Living  near 
Alexandria  and  Mt.  Vernon  it  was  probably  a  common 
sight  for  him  to  look  upon  the  Father  of  his  country 

59 


and  see  the  Washington  family  coach-and-four,  as  it 
started  to  Church  at  Powhick  or  Alexandria,  or  bore 
George  and  Martha  to  Gunston  Hall  to  visit  George 
Mason. 

Just  across  from  Alexandria,  in  Prince  George  Co., 
Maryland,  dwelt  the  Hawley  family.  The  first  Hawley, 
Samuel,  came  to  New  England  in  1639,  just  one  year 
after  Deacon  Rice  settled  in  Sudbury. 
The  Hawleys  and  the  Rices  had  intermarried  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut  and  were  related  thru  many 
lines.  It  was  quite  natural  therefore  that  the  boys  of 
the  Rice  family,  in  Fairfax,  should  frequently  cross 
the  river  and  pay  extended  visits  to  the  Hawleys  of 
Prince  George. 

Samuel  and  Richard  did  not  seem  to  have  been  hard  hit, 
or  if  hard  hit  did  not  make  good,  or,  possibly,  (but  this 
seems  highly  improbable  in  our  family)  there  were  not 
enough  daughters  of  the  house  to  go  around;  however 
this  may  be,  when  William  Rice,  the  father  died  in 
1804,  the  three  boys  at  once  started  west,  and  after  a 
long  and  adventurous  journey  settled  in  Belmont  Co., 
Ohio. 

In  a  short  time  Elizabeth  Hawley,  born  1782,  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  she  having  found  an  opportunity  of 
coming  to  the  Ohio  Country  with  a  family  with  whom 
she  lived  until  her  lover,  Wm.  Rice,  could  clear  the  land 
and  build  his  log  cabin. 

In  1810  William  and  Elizabeth  were  married  and  at 
once  moved  into  this  house,  which  is  still  standing  and 
occupied.  It  was  an  exceedingly  well  built  and  com- 
modious house  for  those  days  in  Ohio.  It  consisted  of 
2  large  rooms  down  stairs  with  a  cut  stone  outside 
chimney  at  either  end  of  the  house ;  a  "lean-to"  or  shed, 
extending  the  entire  length  of  these  2  rooms  and  also 

60 


having  a  cut  stone  chimney;  while  above,  an  unusual 
luxury,  were  2  half-story  bed-rooms. 
All  this  luxury  had  been  provided  by  the  hard  work  of 
William,  aided  and  assisted  by  his  two  older  brothers, 
Samuel  and  Richard.  At  the  same  time  they  each  built 
cabins  for  themselves,  but  they  were  not  so  extensive  or 
elaborate.  One  of  them  still  stands,  but  the  other  was 
washed  away,  many  years  ago,  by  a  freshet  and  the 
creek  bed  now  marks  its  site. 

11"  In  this   "luxurious"  cabin  home  were  born  the  six 
children  of  Wm.  and  Elizabeth  Hawley  Rice. 
This  was  the  order  and  succession: 

Charles  Hawley  Rice,  born  Nov.  25,  1811 ;  died  Oct.  8,  1898, 

aged  87. 

Nancy  Rice,  born  Feb.  17,  1813,  died  Apr.  11,  1904,  aged  92. 
Jemima  Rice,  born  Nov.  10,  1814;  died  Nov.  25,  1814,  aged 

15  days. 

Hannah  Rice,  born  Oct.  20,  1816;  died  1905,  aged  89. 

Richard  Rice,  born  Feb.  17,  1818;  died  May  2,  1870,  aged  52. 
Elizabeth  Rice,  born  March  25,  1821;  died  July  27,  1850, 

aged  29. 

Our  great-grand  mother,  Elizabeth  Hawley  Rice,  did 
not  long  survive  the  birth  of  her  last  child  and  died 
during  the  summer  of  1821.  Her  husband,  Wm.  Rice 
died  in  the  Fall  of  1827;  the  little  home  was  aban- 
doned and  the  5  children  were  parceled  out  or  divided 
around  amongst  the  relatives  and  neighbors  and  were 
never  to  see  or  know  much  of  each  other  thereafter. 
Both  Wm.  Rice  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife  were  buried  at 
the  little  "meeting-house"  grave  yard  known  as  "Hur- 
ford,"  1  mile  west  of  Bethesda,  Belmont  Co.,  O.  A 
spot  long  neglected  and  the  graves  now  almost  obliter- 
ated. 


61 


The  oldest  son  Charles  Hawley,  who  was  but  eleven 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  went  im- 
mediately to  the  home  of  his  Uncle  Richard  Rice,  only 
a  few  rods  distant  from  his  birthplace,  lived  there 
during  the  winter  and  went  to  school  to  John  Correy,  at 
Burr's  Station  (now  Bethesda.)  In  the  Spring  of  1828, 
after  his  father's  death,  he  went  to  the  home  of  John 
Williams,  two  miles  east  of  Barnesville,  in  Belmont 
Co.,  to  learn  the  Tailor's  trade.  With  John  Williams 
he  lived  four  years  and  nine  months. 
John  was  the  son  of  Daniel  Williams,  of  Chester  Co., 
Pa.,  and  the  father  of  Casper  Williams;  all  well  known 
Orthodox  Friends  or  Quakers. 

From  this  good  family  the  young  Tailor  obtained  a 
peculiarly  valuable  training,  and  acquired  principles  of 
integrity  and  honesty  that  were  characteristics  with 
him  throughout  his  long  and  remarkably  eventful  life. 
His  parents,  in  Va.,  and  Maryland,  had  been  Method- 
ists, under  the  preaching  of  Bishops  Coke,  Asbury  and 
Whatcoat;  but  Chas.  Hawley  Rice  early  joined  the 
Friends,  before  the  division  in  1828,  and  eventually 
went  with  the  Gurney  branch  in  1854. 
In  the  Fall  of  1832  he  went  to  Salem,  Ohio  and  at- 
tended school  during  that  winter.  The  teacher  was 
Dr.  John  Shreve.  Of  his  schoolmates  who  attended 
that  school  with  him  during  the  winter  of  1832-'33,  one 
still  survives  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Mary  Koll,  at  that 
date  Mary  Johnson — she  was  then  22  years  old  and 
Chas.  H.  Rice  was  21.  Mrs.  Koll  has  recently  passed 
her  one  hundred  and  first  anniversary  (Jan.  10,  1911) 
and  is  in  good  health. 

The  children  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Stanton  and  his  wife 
Martha  (Townsend)  Stanton  were  also  in  this  school. 
The  oldest,  Rebecca,  born  the  same  year  as  Chas.  H. 

62 


Rice,  recently  died,  but  a  younger  daughter  in  school 
that  winter,  Mrs.  Laura  Barnaby,  now  resides  in  Pasa- 
dena, Cal.  and  is  in  her  91st.  year.  What  a  school  it 
must  have  been  and  what  a  teacher!  He  had  been  an 
officer  in  the  American  Revolution.  He  helped  to  cap- 
ture and  to  guard  Major  Andre,  and  died  at  95  years 
and  8  months,  after  living  to  greet  Louis  Kossuth  to 
the  City,  of  Alliance.  And  at  least  two  of  this  Hero's 
pupils  are  living  in  this  year  of  Grace.  1911  !  ! 
Verily  his  works  have  not  "followed  him"  very  rapidly, 
and  it  has  been  an  hundred  and  fifty  and  five  years  since 
he  began  them. 

In  March,  1833,  the  young  Chas.  Hawley,  was  taken 
violently  ill,  for  the  first  and  last  time  in  his  87  years 
and  was  cared  for  at  the  home  of  Casper  Williams  until 
"Harvest  time."  In  July  he  went  to  Cleveland,  on 
foot;  worked  for  a  short  time  in  a  little  shop  on 
Superior  Street,  north  side,  about  1-2  block  from  the 
"City  Square."  He  walked  thence  to  Milan,  in  Huron 
County;  thence  to  Lower,  Sandusky  and  on  to  Tiffin,  in 
Seneca  Co.,  where  he  sewed  in  a  tailor  shop,  until  the 
latter  part  of  Oct. 

IF  When  he  returned  to  Salem,  Nov.  1st.  1833,  he  had 
$40.00  in  cash  and  enough  cloth  for  a  new  coat.  During 
this  winter  he  again  attended  school  and  in  the  Spring 
of  1834,  went  to  Damascus,  O.,  where  he  established 
himself,  in  a  neat  little  shop  on  the  south  side  of  Main 
St.  ( "Old  State  Road" )  about  a  half  block  west  of  the 
centre  of  the  village. 

While  attending  school  in  Salem  he  had  met  Margaret 
Pettit,  (also  born  in  Nov.  1811)  and  one  day,  in  May 
1834  saw  her,  with  her  younger  sister,  Charity,  coming 
through  town,  walking  down  to  the  office  of  their  older 
brother,  Dr.  Wm.  Pettit,  M.  D.  He  followed  them 

63 


down  the  street,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  just  as  he  had  left 
the  tailor's  bench,  and  secured  an  introduction  to  the 
fair  Charity,  in  Dr.  Pettit's  office.  All  was  not  strictly 
comme  il  faut,  but  Charity,  doubtless  flattered,  and  true 
to  her  name,  could  forgive  or  'cover  a  multitude  of  sins.' 
He  called  that  evening  and  "sat  up"  till  midnight. 
It  was  "love  at  first  sight"  :  the  real  thing.  Two  weeks 
later  he  went  to  visit  her  at  her  home  near  Hanover, 
and  from  that  date  till  the  28th.  of  the  next  Jan.  he 
never  failed  to  visit  the  Pettit  home  every  other  Satur- 
day night. 

On  the  28th.  of  Jan.  1835,  Chas.  Hawley  Rice  and 
Charity  Dean  Pettit  were  married,  by  Friend's  cere- 
mony, in  the  old  Sandy  Spring  Meeting  House,  a  mile 
north  of  Kensington,  (at  that  time  Ingram  Station.) 
Charity  had  been  a  pupil  of  the  famous  Platt  R. 
Spencer,  and  the  wedding  certificate,  now  owned  by  the 
writer,  is  a  beautifully  engrossed  document,  written  by 
Spencer's  own  hand,  and  signed  by  some  50  or  more 
relations  and  friends  as  witnesses  to  the  Ceremony. 
Certified  to  by  this  multitude  of  witnesses  it  is  a  pretty 
sure  thing  that  our  Grandparents  were  firmly  and  se- 
curely married  and  if  any  further  attestation  be  wanted 
we  find  endorsed  underneath  the  above  list  the  names 
of  some  30  persons  who  attended  the  celebration  of 
their  Golden  Wedding  50  years  later,  or  on  Jan.  28, 
1885. 

Three  years  beyond  that  date  did  they  live  happily 
together,  before  death  dissolved  this  certified  contract, 
but  it  had  been  an  eventful  53  years. 
They  began  housekeeping  in  a  house  that  stood  on  the 
present  site  of  the  Wesleyan  M.  E.  Church  Building,  in 
Damascus,  O.  In  Sept.  1835  they  moved  to  Hanover, 
O.  and  here  at  the  home  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Raley 

64 


their  first  and  only  child  was  born,  on  Nov.  27th.  1835. 
Very  properly  he  was  named  William  Pettit  Rice,  for 
on  the  Rice  side  of  the  house  there  was  the  long  line  of 
Williams,  and  on  the  Pettit  side  it  was  the  name  of  his 
grand  father  and  of  his  great-grand  fathers  for  4 
generations  batk. 

There  were  many  unheavals  and  removals  from  this 
date  onward.  A  number  of  years  were  spent  in  Minne- 
sota, Wm.  Pettit  Rice  taking  with  him  his  young  bride 
Rachel  (Hole)  Rice,  and  in  Minnesota  their  2  oldest 
children  were  born.  Harrassed  by  the  Indians  and 
driven  from  their  homes  the  Parents,  Children  and 
Grandparents  returned  to  Ohio,  where  Chas.  Hawley 
and  Charity  Dean  Rice  spent  a  happy  life  and  grew 
gracefully  older  until  she  died,  in  Alliance,  Ohio,  Nov. 
19,  1887,  aged  73. 

After  53  years  of  connubial  bliss,  Chas.  H.  Rice  knew 
to  a  certainty  that  it  was  a  good  thing  and  with  the 
courage  of  his  convictions,  at  the  age  of  78,  he  married 
Deborah  Bentley  Trescott,  a  Quaker  lady  of  high  cul- 
ture and  genuine  worth,  who  was  to  him  a  loving  and 
faithful  wife  for  ten  years. 

She  was  held  in  high  esteem  and  loved  by  every  member 
of  the  family  and  the  marriage  in  old  age  was  an  un- 
qualified success.  Chas.  Hawley  Rice  died  in  Alliance, 
Ohio,  Oct.  8,  1898,  at  the  age  of  87  years  and  his 
widow  died  May  9,  1905,  aged  80  yrs. 
Of  the  other  4  children  of  Wm.  and  Elizabeth  Rice  the 
record  will  be  brief,  tho  in  some  instances  it  covers  a 
remarkably  long  life.  Elizabeth,  the  youngest  child, 
made  her  home  with  her  oldest  brother,  Charles,  and 
died  at  the  early  age  of  29  yrs.  She  was  an  invalid  for 
many  years  and  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  brothers 
and  their  wives.  She  died  July  27,  1850,  and  was 

65 


buried  at  the  Augusta  Friends'  Meeting  House,  near 
East  Rochester,  O. 

Nancy  Rice,  the  oldest  daughter,  married  Henry 
Burton,  Jan.  4,  1 836.  Henry  Burton  was  born  June  3d. 
1806  and  died  Sept.  2,  1855.  After  his  death  Nancy 
Rice  Burton  married  Charles  Walker  who  died  in  1889. 
To  Nancy  and  Henry  Burton  were  born  6  children,  all 
now  deceased.  Only  three  of  these  children  left  pos- 
terity and  Nancy  Rice  Burton  had  but  18  grand- 
children. Her  second  son,  David,  born  Apr.  27,  1843, 
married  Lavina  Ford,  Feb.  22,  1870.  He  died  Jan.  9, 
1891,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven  children,  in  Brown 
County,  Indiana. 

The  third  son,  Henry  Burton  Jr.,  (born  Aug.  10, 
1848)  married  Sarah  Hawley,  Feb.  19,  1885  and  died 
at  Toledo,  Illinois,  May  20,  1909.  He  is  survived  by 
the  widow,  3  sons  and  a  daughter. 
A  daughter  of  Nancy  and  Henry  Burton,  Ella,  married 
Newton  Parsley,  and  left  four  children,  Mary,  Frank, 
Newton  and  Jasper. 

Hannah  Rice,  the  4th  child,  married  three  times; 
Daniel  Murdock;  Israel  Murdock  and  Wm.  Lockridge. 
She  died  at  Carlyle,  Iowa,  1905 — aged  89  years. 
Richard  Rice,  the  second  son  and  5th  child  of  Wm.  and 
Eliz.  Rice,  after  the  death  of  his  parents  was  raised 
and  educated  by  Jeremiah  Harris  who  lived  on  Still- 
water  Creek  in  Belmont  Co.,  Ohio. 
He  married,  March  2nd  1841,  Mary  Mason,  born  July 
18,  1820,  in  Green  Co.,  Penna.  She  had  come  into 
Ohio  with  her  parents  in  1826  and  was  in  her  21st  year 
at  the  date  of  her  marriage.  Richard  Rice  died  May 
2nd  1870  and  was  buried  at  Antioch,  Monroe  Co., 
Ohio.  Mary  Rice,  his  widow  still  lives  (1911)  and  at 


66 


91  years  of  age  is  a  remarkably  handsome,  intelligent 
and  strong  woman.  • 

The  writer  visited  her  a  few  months  ago  and  found  her 
in  the  fullest  possession  of  all  her  faculties,  bright, 
cheerful  and  happy;  able  bodied  and  a  perfectly  sound 
piece  of  human  mechanism.  Only  2  of  her  eight  chil- 
dren are  living  and  with  her  daughter,  Charity  Ellen, 
widow  of  William  Twinem  she  makes  her  home.  It  is 
also  the  home  of  her  grand  daughter  Mabel  Twinem 
Harmon,  her  husband  and  2  children;  thus  making  a 
delightful  family  of  4  generations  under  the  one  roof. 
Pearly  Twinem,  only  son  of  Charity  E.  and  Wm. 
Twinem  with  his  2  children  Mabel  and  Catherine  are 
next  door  neighbors.  All  these  live  at  Mt.  Vernon,  O. 
and  constitute  an  ideal  Patriarchial  group  or  family. 
The  only  other  surviving  child  of  Richard  and  Mary 
Rice  is  Henry  Allen  Rice,  who  resides  in  Nebraska  and 
has  one  daughter,  Bessie  Lea  (Rice)  Martin.  She  has 
2  children,  Eunice  and  Mary  Catharine.  Through 
other  children  now  deceased  Richard  and  Mary  Rice 
had  7  other  Grand-children;  and  4  other  great  Grand- 
children. 


67 


CIVIL  AND  MILITARY  RECORD 

OF  A  FEW  OF  THE  DEACON'S 

DESCENDANTS 

Peter  Rice,  born  Oct.  24,  1658,  (son  of  Thomas)  was  Captain 

of  the  train-band  and  one  of  the  committee,   in   1711,  who 

designated  the  garrison  houses  in  Marlboro,   (Mass.)  and  the 

heads  of  families  that  were  to  belong  to   them  respectively. 

Capt.  Peter  Rice  died  Nov.  28,  1753,  aged  a  little  more  than 

95  years. 

Henry  Rice  born  Dec.  6,  1685,  was  in  the  Army  in  1755  and 

'57,  and  died  in  the  service. 

Abraham  Rice,  born  1697,  was  a  Captain  and  Selectman.  Killed 

June  3d.  1777. 

John  Rice,  born  Apr.  9,  1725,  was  from  Apr.  26  to  Nov.  6, 

1757  in  Smith's  Company  and  marked  "deceased." 

Bezaleel  Rice,  born  about  1694,  was  in  the  service,  in  Clarke's 

Company,  from  Framingham. 

Edward  Rice,  born  Dec.  23,  1689,  was  in  the  Service  in  1724 

in  Capt.  Sam'l  Wright's  Company,  and  was  afterwards  Captain 

in  the  Militia. 

Aaron  Rice,  Aug.  3d.  1700,  was  a  Corporal  in  Sam'l  Wright's 

Company  from  April  12  to  Nov.  10,  1724.     His  name  appears 

on  the  military  rolls,  as  in  occasional  service,  every  year  to  the 

date  of  his  death.     He  commanded  a  company  on  the  northern 

frontier  in  1755  and  died  in  the  Autumn  of  that  year  at  Crown 

Point.      He  became   a  Captain,    but   was   usually   known    as 

Quartermaster  Rice,  to  distinguish  him  from  his  brothers,  Capt. 

Edward  and  Capt.  Moses  Rice. 

Moses  Rice,  brother  of  above,  was  on  Garrison  duty  in  1724, 

under  Capt.  Samuel  Wright.    Was  a  Captain  and  killed  by  the 

Indians  June  11,  1755. 

Tyrus  Rice,  born  Oct.  20,   1700.     Was  a  soldier  in  several 

Campaigns  during  the  French  and  Indian  Wars  and  subse- 

68 


quently  a  Lieutenant  under  Brigadier  Dwight,  who  left  Worces- 
ter with  his  Company  to  fight  the  Indians,  in  Aug.,  1748.  Tyrus 
Rice  died  in  1783,  aged  83. 

Adonijah  Rice,  born  Nov.  7,  1714,  was  in  several  Campaigns 
against  the  Indians.  He  belonged  to  Capt.  Andrew  Dalrhymple's 
Company  five  months,  ending  Dec.  12,  1755;  and  in  1756  was 
a  Sergeant  in  same  Co.  Died  Jan.  20,  1802,  in  his  88th.  year. 
Gideon  Rice,  born  Apr.  5,  1712;  was  in  the  Army  and  living 
in  1741 ;  (died  previous  to  1748). 

Joseph  Rice,  born  May  24,  1712;  was  a  soldier  from  Graf  ton 
in  1757.    Died  in  Graf  ton,  Feb.  12,  1789,  aged  77. 
Peter  Rice,  born  Feb.  7,  1761.    In  Page's  Co.  Rand's  Regiment, 
at  West  Point  in  1780  and  died  in  Service. 
Sam'l  Rice,  May  10,  1730.     Was  in  the  Army  and  on  roll 
of  Williams'  Co.  in  1755  and  1757,  and  was  still  living  in  1793. 
Henry  Rice,  Apr.  3,  1736,  was  in  the  "Lake  Expedition"  in 
1758  ;  in  Fletcher's  Co.  from  Holden,  and  enlisted  in  Chandler's 
Co.,  April  2,  1759. 

Uriah  Rice,  born  1734,  was  in  the  Army  in  1780,  in  Drury's 
Co.,  Perry's  Regiment. 

Silas  Rice,  born  about  1736,  was  in  the  Revolutionary  Army 
and  probably  died  before  Sept.  6,  1780. 

Aaron  Rice,  born  Jan.  31,  1724-5.  Corporal  in  Burke's  Co. 
1758,  and  member  of  State  Convention  in  1779,  to  frame  a 
Constitution  for  the  Commonwealth  of  Mass.  Died  1808,  aged 
84. 

Sylvanus  Rice,  born  Jan.  6,  1728-9.  Served  as  Captain  in  1776 
and  in  1779,  in  Chaplin's  Regt.  He  died  in  1819  in  his  91st. 
year.  His  widow  died  in  her  87th. 

Isaac  Rice,  Nov.  2,  1738,  was  in  Ruggle's  Co.  in  1755  (aged 
then  17)  and  in  Brown's  Co.  and  Parker's  Co.  from  Nov.  8, 
1761  to  Nov.,  1762. 

Jason  Rice,  born  Aug.  7,  1728,  was  Corporal  in  Jones'  Co.  1756, 
from  Hopkinton. 

Aaron  Smith,  born  June  22,  1736,  son  of  Ephramin  Smith  and 
Hannah  Rice,  fought  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  died  at  Shrewsbury, 
May  9,  1825,  aged  89. 

Military  record  of  Jabez  Rice  and  his  wife,  Miriam  Morse. 
The  parents  of  15  children,  "two  of  whom,  born  June  27,  1775, 
were  baptized  the  next  Sabbath  John  Hancock  and  Dorothy 
Quincy" — Boston  Gazette,  July,  1775. 

69 


Abner  Maynard,  son  of  Abigail  Rice,  born  Nov.  27,  1753,  died 
in  the  Army  in  1775. 

Amos  Rice,  Feb.  17,  1743,  one  of  the  Committee  of  Corre- 
spondence, 1775,  and  was  at  Lexington  Alarm,  and  2nd.  Lieut. 
1777,  in  Col.  Job  Cushing's  regiment.  Afterwards  Captain. 
Died  Dec.  14,  1827,  in  his  85th  year. 

Benjamin  Rice,  born  Feb.  1,  1722-23.  "Captain;  Selectman; 
and  Representative."  Died  in  Brookfield,  Mass.,  Feb.  8,  1796, 
aged  73. 

Jonas  Rice,  born  June  30,  1731.  Was  in  Caldwell's  Co.  Aug. 
1757,  for  Fort  William  and  Henry;  also  in  the  Army  of  the 
Revolution  and  died  in  Service  in  1776. 

Jason  Rice,  son  of  above,  born  May  14,  1756.  In  Hamilton's 
Co.,  July  4,  1778,  at  Fishkill. 

Levi  Rice,  born  Apr.  13,  1760.  In  Hamilton's  Co.  July  4,  1778 
at  Fishkill,  aged  18,  and  in  1780  under  Miller  six  months. 
Asa  Rice,  Aug.  8,  1732.  A  soldier  in  the  French  War,  from 
Westboro,  and  belonged  to  Capt.  Bezaleel  Eager 's  Co.  in  1757. 
Zebulon  Rice,  born  Feb.  27,  1711-12.  A  soldier  in  Fay's  Co. 
1757,  from  Westboro. 

Joel  Rice,  born  Apr.  13,  1760,  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  from  Greenfield,  3  months,  25  days,  in  Day's  Com- 
pany, 7th  Regt.  and  on  military  rolls  marked  "dead"  (Died  in 
Service. ) 

Adam  Rice,  born  Aug.  18.  1715.  A  soldier  from  Westboro,  in 
Capt.  Benj.  Fay's  Co.,  1757. 

Oliver  Rice,  May  2,  1717.    Soldier  from  Hardwick  in  1757. 
Adonijah  Rice,  born  May  28,  1727,  a  soldier  in  Capt.  B.  Fay's 
Co.,  1757.    Also  in  the  War  of  the  Rev.  and  in  Barn's  Co., 
15th  Regt.  and  on  rolls  marked  "dead." 

Sam'l.  S.,  son  of  above,  born  May  3,  1759,  a  soldier  of  the 
Rev.  in  Lee's  Co.,  Smith's  Regt. 

Charles  Rice,  born  March  1,  1731,  a  soldier  from  Westboro,  in 
John  Taplin's  Co.,  six  months  in  1755,  also  in  1757  in  Capt. 
Fay's  Co. 

Stephen  Rice,  Mar.  15,  1737.  Delegates  to  Conventions  of 
1774  and  1775.  Lieut.  Col.  in  Reg't.  of  Job  Gushing,  Col. 
Warner's  Brigade  on  Northern  frontier,  1777.  Representative 
from  Hardwick  1775  and  again  in  1784.  Died  at  Hardwick, 
Nov.  24,  1831,  in  his  95th  year. 
Thomas  Rice,  of  Westboro,  Nov.  27,  1734,  Captain.  Graduate 

70 


of  Harvard  University,  1756.  Judge  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
County  of  Lincoln.  Member  State  Convention  that  adopted 
Constitution  of  the  U.  S.  and  voted  for  it;  and  other  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  Died  Apr.  21,  1812,  in  his  78th  year. 
Nathaniel  Rice,  born  Oct.  15,  1749,  was  in  the  8  months  service, 
1775,  and  belonged  to  Moore's  Company,  Nixon's  Regt.  and 
died  in  the  service. 

Peter  Rice,  born  June  25,  1775 ;  enlisted  in  the  8  months  service, 
S.  Washburn's  Co.,  J.  Ward's  Regt.,  from  Spencer.  Died  Feb. 
1,  1813. 

Joel  Rice,  born  Sept.  16,  1758.  A  Soldier  of  the  Revolution  and 
in  the  battle  of  White  Plains.  Died  Apr.  19;  1838,  in  his  80th 
year. 

Joseph  Livermore,  born,  1740.  Husband  of  Anna  Rice,  of 
E.  Sudbury,  was  a  Lieutenant  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
afterwards  Captain. 

Solomon  Rice,  May  13,  1749,  was  in  the  8  months  service  1775. 
In  Haynes'  Company,  Brewers'  Regt.  Probably  killed  in  the 
Service  Sept.  1777. 

Matthias,  brother  of  above,  born  Oct.  31,  1752,  was  at  Lexing- 
ton Alarm,  April,  1775.    Died  Sept.  17,  1798. 
Joel  Rice,  born  May  17,   1752,  was  in  Day's  Company,  7th. 
Reg't.,  1777,  and  marked  "dead"— Military  Rolls. 
Wm.  Gates,   (son  of  Jane  Rice)   born  Apr.  21,  1758,  was  a 
drummer  in  the  Army  of  the  Rev.,  4  yrs.  and  7  mos.,  and  died 
at  Vienna.  N.  Y.,  Mar.,  1852,  aged  94  yrs. 
Jonathan  Rice,  Apr.  8,  1 736.    For  many  years  a  deputy  sheriff ; 
one  of  the  law  and  order  vo^nteers  during  Shav's  Rebellion  and 
shot,  in  a  skirmish  at  New  Braintree,  in  the  Winter  of  1786. 
Abel  Rice,  March  29,  1746,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Rev.  in  the  8 
mos.  service,  1775,  in  Drapers'  Co.,  Gardner's  Reg't.  and  sub- 
sequently a  Sergeant  in  the  service.    Died  July  9,  1800. 
Jacob  Hememway,  husband  of  Mary  Rice,  was  a  Lieutenant  in 
the  Company  under  command  of  Capt.  Aaron  Rice  of  Rutland, 
1756  and  upon  the  death  of  Capt.  Rice  at  Crown  Point  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command,  and  died  Feb.  6,  1801,  aged  78. 
Joel  Rice,  born  May  3,  1733.    A  member  of  the  Committee  of 
Correspondence  and  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  at  Lexington 
Alarm.     Lieut,  in  Gates'  Co.  and  continued  in  service  during 
most  of  the  war.     Died  at  Concord,  Feb.  4,  1819,  in  his  86th 
year. 

71 


Nathan  Rice,  born  Aug.  2,  1754,  Harvard  1773.  An  officer  in 
the  Army  during  the  Rev.  Lieut.  Col.  stationed  at  Oxford. 
Died  Apr.  17,  1834,  aged  80. 

Hezekiah  Rice,  Sept.  19,  1748,  soldier  from  Framingham  in 
Prentiss'  Co.  Marshall's  Reg't.,  1776.  In  July,  1776,  he  was 
stationed  at  Noddle's  Island,  Boston  Harbor. 
Nathan  Rice,  Nov.  1751,  was  at  Lexington  Alarm,  Apr.,  1775, 
and  subsequently  served  in  the  Revolution.  Died,  a  Rev. 
Pensioner,  Jan.  30,  1836,  aged  84. 

Daniel  Rice,  born  Nov.  25,  1755.  A  Soldier  of  the  Rev.  in 
Brook's  Co.  Dyke's  Reg't.,  1782. 

Augustus  Rice,  his  son,  also  entered  the  Army  and  died  there. 
Hezekiah  Rice,  born  Oct.  2,  1745.  On  the  Military  Rolls  is 
called  Hez.  Jr.  to  distinguish  him  from  his  cousin  Hez.  Rice, 
both  of  whom  were  in  the  Service  from  Framingham.  He  was 
in  Prentiss'  Co.,  Marshall's  Regt.  in  Boston  Harbor  from  July 
19,  to  Dec.  1,  '76 ;  also  in  the  Service  Aug.  16-Nov.  29,  '77. 
Josiah  Rice,  born  1760,  served  in  the  Rev.  Army  44  months  and 
17  davs  and  rec'd  a  bounty  of  20  pounds.  Died  a  Rev.  Pensioner 
Oct.  29,  1830,  aged  70. 

Martin  Rice,  born  1749,  was  in  the  8  months  service,  in 
Maxwell's  Co.  Prescott's  Regiment,  1775,  from  Charlemont 
and  died  July  17,  1841,  aged  92. 

Edmund  Rice,  born  Dec.  28,  1755.  A  Soldier  of  the  Revolution 
and  in  the  8  months  service  1775,  Russell's  Co.,  Brewer's  Regi- 
ment. He  died  May  14,  1841,  in  his  86th.  year. 
Martin  Rice,  born  March  17.  1757,  was  in  the  8  months  service, 
in  Holman's  Co.,  and  in  Pollard's  Co.,  Denny's  Reg't.,  1780. 
He  died  in  1833,  aged  76. 

Asa  Rice,  born  Mar.  12,  1742.  A  soldier  in  Maynard's  Co. 
from  Apr.  3,  to  Nov.  30,  1759,  when  aged  17.  From  Shrews- 
bury, in  an  expedition  against  the  French  and  Indians.  At 
Lexington  Alarm,  1775,  and  a  Captain  1777,  in  Col.  Job. 
Cushing's  Reg't.  at  Bennington.  Made  returns  Sept.  14,  1778, 
of  men  under  his  command,  as  Captain  from  Shrewsbury.  Sub- 
sequently was  Major  and  Colonel  of  6th.  Reg't.,  7th  Division, 
Mass.  Militia,  and  16  years  Selectman.  Died  Aug.  4,  1823,  in 
his  82nd.  year. 

Jacob  Rice,  born  Apr.  21,   1784,  was  a  Lieutenant  Colonel; 
Selectman  and  Representative  and  died  at  Sudbury,  1833. 
Nahum  Rice,  born  Mar.  16,  1757.    A  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

72 


Summary  of  Services  of  Nahum  Rice,  as  stated  on  Military 
Rolls,  Smith's  Co.,  13th.  Regt.  46  Months,  21  Days.  He  died 
Sept.  29,  1831,  on  his  75th.  year. 

Elisha  Rice,  born  Apr.  4,  1756.  Was  a  Soldier  of  the  Rev. 
and  engaged  in  several  battles,  in  one  of  which  he  was  wounded 
in  the  head,  and  from  his  shattered  skull  thirteen  pieces  of  bone 
were  extracted.  His  revolutionary  services  as  summed  up  on 
the  Military  Rolls,  were  "45  months,  5  days,  in  the  Light 
Infantry."  He  died  in  1811,  in  his  56th.  year. 
Joseph  Rice,  born  Apr.  7,  1760.  Was  in  the  5th.  Division,  6 
months  men  from  Northboro,  July  6,  1780,  and  in  March,  1781, 
in  Brigham's  Co.,  Cushing's  Regiment  from  Northboro.  He 
was  in  service  also  in  1778  and  was  a  Rev.  Pensioner,  died  Sept. 
11,  1826,  in  his  67th  year. 

ALEXANDER  HAMILTON  RICE,  born  Aug.  30,  1818,  Union 
College,  1844.  Mayor  of  Boston,  1855-57.  Member  of  Con- 
gress 4  terms,  serving  from  Dec.  5,  1859  to  March  3rd,  1867. 
Delegate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention  in  1868. 
Governor  of  Mass,  in  1876-77-78.  Died  22nd  July,  1895,  aged 
77. 

Americus  V.  Rice,  born  Nov.  18th,  1735.  Union  College  1860. 
Lieutenant  and  Captain  in  Civil  War,  afterwards  reenlisted  and 
became  Lieut.  Colonel ;  fought  in  Sherman's  campaigns  in  Gen. 
Hazen's  division.  Brig.  Gen.  31  May,  1865,  and  mustered  out 
15th  Jan.,  1866.  Elected  to  Congress  in  1874  and  re-elected 
1876. 

BENJ.  FRANKLIN  RICE,  May  26,  1828,  was  Presidential  Elec- 
tor, from  Ky.,  1856.  Moved  to  Minnesota  in  1860  and  enlisted 
in  the  National  Army  in  1861.  Captain  in  3d.  Minn,  infantry 
till  1864.  Removed  to  Arkansas  and  was  the  Organizer  of  the 
Republican  party  in  that  state  in  1867.  Elected  U.  S.  Senator, 
and  served  from  June  3,  1868,  to  Mar.  3,  1873. 
Harvey  Rice,  born  June  11,1 800.  Graduated  Williams  College 
and  removed  to  Ohio  in  1824.  In  1828  purchased  and  pub- 
ished  "The  Independent  News  Letter,"  now  known  as  "The 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer."  In  1830  was  the  first  Democrat  ever 
elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Cleveland,  O.  In  1851  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  and  was  author  of  the  bill  for  the  re-organi- 
zation of  the  Common-school  System  of  Ohio.  Received  the 
degree  of  LL.D.  from  Williams  College  in  1871.  Was  com- 


73 


monly  known  as  "Father  of  the  School  System  of  Ohio."  Poet 
and  Author,  wrote  "Mt.  Vernon  and  Other  Poems,"  pub.  1864 ; 
"Nature  and  Culture,"  "Boston  1875,"  "Pioneers  of  the  West- 
ern Reserve"  (1882),  "Select  Poems"  (1885),  and  "Sketches  of 
Western  Life,"  (1888).  Hon.  Harvey  Rice  was  a  brother-in- 
law  of  Reuben  Wood,  Gov.  of  Ohio.  He  died  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1891  in  his  92d.  year. 

HENRY  M.  RICE,  born  Nov.  29,  1816.  Emigrated  to  Mich. 
1835,  and  to  Fort  Snelling  (then  in  Iowa  Territory)  in  1839. 
In  Aug.  1847  was  U.  S.  Commissioner  in  making  a  treaty  with 
the  Ojibway  Indians  at  Fond  du  Lac.  Settled  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  in  1849  and  elected  a  delegate  to  Congress  in  1853,  and 
again  in  1855.  Framed  and  introduced  the  bill  for  a  State 
Constitution,  preparatory  to  the  admission  of  Minnesota  into 
the  Union.  Elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  serving  from 
May  11,  1858,  to  March  3rd,  1863.  A  delegate  to  the  National 
Union  Convention  at  Philad.  in  1866. 

He  was  a  Founder  of  Bayfield,  Wisconsin,  and  of  Munising, 
Michigan ;  and  gave  Rice  Park  to  the  City  of  St.  Paul.  Died 
in  San  Antonio,  Texas,  Jan.  15th.,  1894,  aged  78. 
James  Clay  Rice,  born  in  Mass.  Dec.  27th,  1829.  Yale  1854. 
Entered  Civil  War  and  became  Adjutant  and  Captain  and,  on 
the  organization  of  the  44th  N.  Y.  Reg.  was  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
Soon  became  its  Col.  and  led  it  in  the  battles  of  Yorktown; 
Hanover  Court  House;  Gaine's  Mill;  Malvern  Hill;  Manas- 
sas ;  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  and  at  Gettysburg  he 
commanded  a  brigade.  Commissioned,  for  service  at  Gettysburg, 
a  Brig.  Gen'l.  of  Vol.  Aug.  17,  1863.  Killed  in  Battle  near 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va..  Mav  11,  1864. 
Samuel  Allen  Rice,  born  Jan  27,  1828.  Union  College  1849. 
In  1856  elected  Attorney  Gen.  of  Iowa,  and  re-elected  in  '58. 
Entered  the  National  Army  as  Col.  of  the  33d.  Iowa  Vol. 
Commissioned  Aug.  10,  1862.  For  bravery  at  Helena,  Ark.,  he 
was  promoted  Brigadier  General,  of  volunteers  on  4th.  Aug., 
1863.  Mortally  wounded  30th.  Apr.,  1864. 
Elliott  Warren  Rice,  brother  of  above,  born  16th.  Nov.,  1835. 
Enlisted  in  National  Army  and  rose  to  rank  of  Brigadier  Gen. 
Commissioned  20th.  June,  1864.  Commanded  a  brigade  in 
Gen.  John  M.  Corse's  division  in  Carolinas  and  was  in  Gen. 
Sherman's  Campaigns  in  Georgia.  He  was  brevetted  Major 
General  13th.  March,  1865. 

74 


MARY  A.  RICE  LIVERMORE,  (dau.  of  Timothy  Rice)  (Line  of 
Edw.  Rice)  b.  Dec.  19,  1820,  has  the  best  Civil  War  record  of 
any  woman  in  the  U.  S.  with  the  single  exception  of  Clara 
Barton,  who  is  her  kinswoman  and  also  a  descendant  of  Deacon 
Edmund  Rice.  Mary  Ashton  Rice  married,  May  6,  1845,  Rev. 
Daniel  P.  Livermore  of  Maiden,  Mass.  All  Livermores  are 
descendants  of  Deacon  Rice,  they  having  intermarried  since  the 
1st.  settlement  in  Mass.  Mrs.  Livermore  edited  a  paper  for 
12  yrs.  before  the  Civil  War  and  in  1862  was  appointed  an 
Agent  of  the  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission.  She  traveled  exten- 
sively in  this  work  and  organized  the  Sanitary  Fair  in  Chicago 
and  raised  nearly  $100,000,  for  the  Association.  She  obtained 
the  original  draft  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  from  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  which  she  sold  for  $3,000,  for  the  same  purpose. 
She  was  a  Hospital  Nurse  during  the  war,  for  account  of  which, 
see  her  book  entitled  "My  Story  of  the  War."  After  the  close 
of  the  War  she  became  a  lecturer  of  note.  At  a  time  when  the 
Lyceum  Bureau  was  at  the  height  of  its  popularity  she  was  one 
of  the  four  lecturers  who  were  most  in  demand ;  the  other  three 
being  men.  For  many  years  she  spoke  5  nights  in  the  week,  for 
5  months  in  the  year,  travelling  25,000  miles  annually.  She 
was  long  known  as  "Queen  of  the  American  Platform."  She 
died  May  23,  ,1905,  aged  84  years  plus. 

CLARA  BARTON,  born  in  Oxford,  Mass.  Dec.  25,  1821.  7th. 
generation  from  Deacon  Edmund  Rice,  was,  in  1864  appointed 
by  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler,  "Lady  in  charge"  of  the  Hospitals  at  the 
front  of  the  Army  of  the  James.  In  1865  she  was  placed,  by 
Pres.  Lincoln,  in  charge  of  the  search  for  the  missing  men  of 
the  Union  Armies.  She  lectured  in  1866-67  on  her  War  experi- 
ences and  then  went  abroad  for  her  health.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  in  1870,  she  assisted  the  Grand 
Dutchess  of  Baden  in  the  preparation  of  Military  Hospitals. 
At  the  close  of  the  War  she  was  decorated  with  the  Golden 
Cross  of  Baden  and  the  Iron  Cross  of  Germany.  In  1881  she 
became  the  first  President  of  the  American  Red  Cross  Society. 
She  was  a  delegate  to  the  International  Peace  Conference  at 
Geneva  in  1884,  and  a  Commissioner  for  foreign  exhibits  at  the 
New  Orleans  Exhibition.  In  1883,  by  request  of  the  Senate 
Committee  on  foreign  relations,  she  prepared  a  "History  of  the 
Red  Cross,"  which  was  published  at  the  expense  of  the  U.  S. 
Government. 

75 


Miss  Barton,  now  nearing  her  90th.  year,  lives  near  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  and  is  keenly  alive  to  all  the  affairs  of  the  Nation  as 
well  as  to  the  affairs  of  the  Foreign  Governments  under  which 
she  has  played  so  important  a  part. 


76 


"WHOM  THE  GODS  LOVE,  DIE  YOUNG." 

"For  why  should  youth  and  beauty  in  the  grave  lie 
low?" 

Henry  Rice.    Died  Feb.  10,  1710,  aged  93. 

Edward  Rice.    Died  Aug.  15,  1812,  aged  93. 

Mathew  Rice.    Died  1717,  aged  90. 

Martha  Rice.    Died  1720,  aged  91. 

Ephraim  Pratt  m.  Martha  Rice  d.  aged  116  yrs.  5  mo.  22  dys. 

See  Timothy  Dwight's  Travels,  Vol.  2.  Page  358. 

He  was  born  Nov.  1st,  1687.    Died  May  22nd,  1804. 

Ephraim  and  Martha  Pratt  had  4  sons  who  lived  to  be  over 

90  years  of  age;  and  2  daughters  who  were  between  80  and 

90  years  old. 

Mary  Rice.     Died  Feb.  1804,  aged  99. 

Thos.  Rice.    Died  Dec.  1768,  aged  94. 

Peter  Rice.    Died  Nov.  28th,  1753,  aged  95. 

Gershom  Rice  died  Dec.  19th,  1768,  aged  101  yrs.  7  mos. 

Gershom  Rice  was  one  of  his  parents. 

14  children,  of  whom,  except  2  who  died  in  infancy,  all  lived  to 

a  great  age,  Peter  was  97 ;  Thomas  94 ;  Mary  80 ;  Nathaniel  70 ; 

Ephraim  71 ;  James  72;  Sarah  80;  Frances  96;  Jonas  84;  Grace 

95  ;  Elisha  60  ; 

The  aggregate  age  of  the  12  children  being  1000  years. 

Nathaniel  Rice.    Died  July  19,  1811,  aged  96. 

Mehitabell  (his  wife).    Died  1809,  aged  90. 

Mary  Rice.    Died  Dec.  1766,  aged  95. 

Hannah  Rice.    Died  June  6th,  1766,  aged  93. 

Richard  Rice.    Died  June  9th,  1709,  aged  100. 

Jonathan  Rice.    Died  June  7th,  1772,  aged  92. 

Anne  (his  wife).    Died  Dec.  23,  1773,  aged  92. 

Patience  Rice.    Died  Jan.  2nd,  1796,  aged  94. 

Hannah  Rice.    Died  1822,  aged  95. 

Margaret  Rice.    Died  1794,  aged  91. 

Lydia  Rice.    Died  Jan.  1832,  aged  96. 

77 


Lydia  Rice.    Died  Jan.  1793  aged  92. 

Elisha  Rice.    Died  March  10th,  1789,  aged  99. 

Martha  (his  wife).    Died  1785,  aged  90. 

Cyprian  Rice.    Died  Nov.  1788,  aged  95. 

Elizabeth  Rice.    Died  1801,  aged  91. 

Gershom  Rice.    Died  1829,  aged  93. 

Mary  Rice.    Died  1803,  aged  97. 

Reuben  Rice.    Died  26th,  1826,  aged  94. 

Elijah  Rice.    Died  March,  1818,  aged  97. 

Susanna  Rice.    Died  Dec.  17,  1823,  aged  92. 

Seth  Rice.    Died  1796,  aged  91. 

Dorothy  Rice  (his  wife).    Died  June,  1801,  aged  93. 

Mary  Rice.    Died  May  18,  1790,  aged  91. 

Josiah  Rice.    Died  1792,  aged  92. 

Submit  Rice.    Died  1849,  aged  91. 

Dinah  Rice.    Died  Sept.  6th,  1818,  aged  92. 

Sylvanus  Rice.     Died  1819,  aged  91. 

Thomas  Rice.    Died  Oct.  28th,  1840,  aged  93. 

Mary  Rice.    Died  Dec.  1841,  aged  92. 

Ashur  Rice.    Died  1823,  aged  93. 

Stephen  Rice.    Died  1831,  aged  95. 

Hepzibah  Rice.    Died  1854,  aged  91. 

Esther  Rice.    Died  Dec.  29,  1755,  aged  93. 

Ruth  Rice.    Died  Feb.  12th,  1837,  aged  91. 

Ezekiel  Rice.    Died  Jan.  23,  1835,  aged  93. 

Copiah  Rice.    Died  March  25,  1844,  aged  98. 

Charles  Rice.    Died  1848,  aged  90. 

Israel  Rice.    Died  1833,  aged  91. 

Uriah  Rice.    Died  Sept.  22,  1850,  aged  94. 

Mary  (his  wife).    Died  1855,  aged  93. 

Asa  Rice.    Died  1847,  aged  91. 

Martin  Rice.    Died  July  17,  1841,  aged  92. 

Rachel  Rice.    Died  1858,  aged  96. 

Aaron  Rice.     Died  1856,  aged  92. 

Abigail  Rice.    Died  Apr.  6,  1837,  aged  90. 

Prudence  Rice.    Died  Jan.  23,  1836,  aged  92. 

William  Rice.    Died  1854,  aged  95. 

Hannah  Rice.    Died  1856,  aged  90. 

Jemima  Rice.    Died  Feb.  14,  1855,  aged  97. 

Eber  Rice.    Died  June  11,  1853,  aged  90. 

Mary  Rice  Richardson.    Died  Oct.  25,  1798,  aged  105. 

78 


Hon.  Harvey  Rice.    Died  Nov.  6,  1891,  aged  92. 
Nancy  (Rice)  Walker.    Died  April  11,  1904,  aged  92. 
Nancy  Rice.    Died  Plymouth,  Mass.,  aged  101  yr.  9  mo. 
Sophia  Rice.    Died  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  1909,  aged  99. 
Mary  Mason  Rice,  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio,  now  (1911)  aged  91. 


79 


ICE  FAMILY  GRADUATES  OF 

HARVARD  AND  OTHER 

UNIVERSITIES 

Caleb  Rice,  Dec.  13,  1712,  H.  U.  1730. 

David  Goddard,  Rev.  born  1706,  H.  U.  1731. 

Amariah  Frost,  son  of  Elizabeth  Rice,  Oct.  4,  1720,  H.  U.  1740. 

Caleb  Rice,  May  7,  1740,  H.  U.  1764. 

Noah  Rice,  Sept.  10,  1751,  H.  U.  1777. 

Nathan  Rice,  Aug.  2,  1754,  H.  U.  1773. 

Jesse  Rice,  May  25,  1751,  H.  U.  1772. 

Isaac  Stone,  Son  of  Rachel  Rice,  Mar.  6,  1748,  H.  U.  1770. 

Merrick  Rice,  Feb.  19,  1765,  H.  U.  1785. 

Jacob  Rice,  Nov.  27,  1740,  H.  U.  1765. 

Luther  Rice,  March  25,  1783,  Williams  College  1810. 

Ebenezer  Rice,  Dr.  Jan.  2,  1733,  H.  U.  1760. 

Asaph  Rice,  May  9,  1733,  H.  U.  1752. 

Asapah  Rice,  Feb.  17,  1777,  H.  U.  1799. 

Thomas  Rice,  June  9,  1782,  Yale  1803. 

Benj.  Rice,  May  11,  1749,  H.  U.  1773. 

Thomas  Rice,  Nov.  27,  1734,  H.  U.  1756. 

Thos.,  his  Son,  Mar.  30,  1769,  H.  U.  1791. 

Benjamin  Rice,  July  8,  1774,  H.  U.  1796. 

Charles  Rice,  Nov.  28,  1781,  H.  U.  1797,  died  '99. 

Caleb  Rice,  Dec.  5,  1784,  H.  U.  1803. 

Samuel  Rice,  1795,  H.  U.  1816. 

Geo.  Shattuck,  son  of  Mary  Rice,  Dartmouth  Col.  1 839. 

Jonas  L.  Sibley,  Son  of  Lydia  Rice,  Brown  Col.  1813. 

John  J.  Sibley,  Son  of  Lydia  Rice,  Brown  College,  1815. 

Clough  R.  Miles,  Son  of  Elizabeth  C.  Rice,  b.  1796,  H.  U.  1817 

Asa  Miles,  Dartmouth  College,  1787. 

Geo.  E.  Rice,  July  10,  1822,  H.  U.  1842. 

John  Paine  m.  Sally  Rice,  H.  U.  1799. 

John  F.  Ware  m.  Caroline  Rice,  H.  U.  1838. 

80 


Nathan  Payson  Rice,  May  26,  1828,  H.  U.  1849.     (A  Grand 

Son  of  Hon.  Levi  Lincoln,  Sec.  War.) 

Gamaliel  Bradford,  m.  Sophia  Rice,  H.  U.  1814. 

Henry  G.  Rice,  Feb.  18,  1784,  H.  U.  1802. 

William  B.  Rice,  H.  U.  1843. 

John  G.  Coffin,  m.  Elizabeth  Rice,  H.  U.  1811. 

Henry  Rice  Coffin,  Nov.  10,  1810,  H.  U.  1830. 

Augustus  Warren  Wbipple,  Son  of  Martha  M.  Rice,  born 

1824,  H.  U.  1849. 

Caleb  Rice,  born  1792,  Williams  Col.  1814. 

Spencer  Trask,  born  1844,  Princeton  1866. 

Josiah  Rutter,  m.  Abigail  E.  Rice,  H.  U.  1833. 

George  Rice,  Sept.  28,  1839,  Yale  1857. 

Lorenzo  P.  Blood,  Son  of  Hannah  Rice,  1824,  Amherst  1846. 

Freeman  Parker,  born  July  13,  1776,  married  Rebecca  Rice, 

H.  U.  1797. 

Geo.  F.  Farley,  married  Lucy  R.  Rice,  H.  U.  1816. 

James  Clay  Rice,  Dec.  27,  1829,  Yale  1854. 

Harvey  Rice,  born  June  11,  1800,  Williams  College,  1824. 

Americus  V.  Rice,  Nov.  18,  1835,  Union  College  1860. 

Gov.  Alexander  H.  Rice,  Aug  30,  1818,  Union  College  1844. 


81 


Thus  Endeth  the  Record  of  the  Sapient  and  Militant 
Deacon  Edmund  Rice,  The  Pilgrim,  to  whom  the  Lord 
added  much  Posterity  and  Great  Length  of  Days. 
Done  by  the  Deacon's  6th.  Great  Grand  Son  Chas. 
Elmer  Rice,  Antiquarian  and  Genealogist. 
1910—1911. 


See  next  Page 


82 


"ALL'S  WELL  THAT  ENDS  WELL." 

A  Romance,  in  Two  Chapters,  Copied  Verbatim  from 
the  Letters  in  Possession  of  the  Author. 


Chapter  1. 


New  York  July  25  1794 
Dear  Betsey 

After  I  Left  your  Farthers  My  Mind  Was 
not  att  Pease  the  Eyeidea  of  Being  Absent  from 
you  for  three  or  fouer  Months  Was  Sufisshent  to 
Make  me  Misrable  for  that  Time  if  that  Was  all 
But  the  Unsertenty  of  My  Ever  Seing  you  again 
Was  and  is  still  Wors  But  I  Hope  in  God  That  if 
We  ever  Meate  Again  that  we  shall  not  Part  as 
We  Did  then  the  Little  Time  that  I  was  with  you 
Was  the  Happyist  Days  of  My  Life — But  the 
Situation  that  We  Parted  in  Has  Mad  Me  Mis- 
rable Ever  Sense  and  Had  You  the  Least  feling 
for  Ahart  that  is  Bound  up  in  you — you  Wold  not 
Delay  My  Happynis  Eney  Longer  But  Comply  to 
the  Wishes  of  your  Lover  And  frind  Tild  Death" 
Signed  "Thomas  Hart-" 

Miss  Betsey  Rice 

N.  B.  Give  My  Love  to  your  Sisters. 

T. 


83 


Chapter  2. 


New  York  June  30  1795, 
Dear  Betsey 

These  Will  lett  you  no  that  I  am 
Well  Which  I  Hope  that  they  May  find  You  and 
Little  Abby  thrue  the  Blessing  of  God 

The  Vessel  that  I  Expected  to  go  to  Sea  in 
Had  Sailed  Before  I  Arived  But  I  Have  Partley 
Agread  to  go  to  Sea  in  the  Schooner  Presadent 
Belonging  To  Mr.  Ogden  of  New  York  and  Do 
Expect  to  Go  to  Sum  Part  of  Hispaoley  (Prob- 
ably "Hispanola,")  But  Shall  Wright  you  More 
Perticulers  Before  I  Sail. 

Give  my  Duty  to  Dady  and  Mamma  and  Love  to 
Brothers  and  Sisters  from  Your  Loveing  Husband 
Tild  Death 

Thomas  Hart 

Mrs.  Betsey  Hart 

Killingworth,  Conn, 
Per  Captn.  Buell,  Sloop  Sally. 


84 


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